Categories: Web

Microsoft to face further fines over EU browser choice failure

Microsoft may face additional fines over its failure to properly implement a browser choice directive as instructed by the European Commission.

Since December 2009, Microsoft has been legally bound to display a browser choice screen to Windows user in Europe, allowing them to specifically select an internet browser to install.

Between February and July 2011, however, the EC has found that Microsoft failed to deliver this browser choice screen to millions of Windows 7 Service Pack 1 users.

Microsoft could be fined up to 10% of global turnover, although this severity of penalty is unlikely. The EC describes 10% as “a legal maximum, not an indication of what a possible fine would be.”

Microsoft, in a statement earlier today, said that it takes that matter “very seriously” and that it was as a result of a “technical error”. Part of that statement reads,

“Although this was the result of a technical error, we take responsibility for what happened, and we have taken steps to strengthen our internal procedures to help ensure something like this cannot happen again.”

To date, Microsoft has paid €1.6 billion in fines to the EC over the issue.

Albizu Garcia

Albizu Garcia is the Co-Founder and CEO of Gain -- a marketing technology company that automates the social media and content publishing workflow for agencies and social media managers, their clients and anyone working in teams.

Recent Posts

DeepL’s translation platform expands Spain’s language coverage to Catalan, Basque, Galician, and Aragonese

The number of languages spoken across the world is immense, with some seven thousand different…

12 hours ago

DARPA ‘Protean’ program aims to provide preventative protection against chemical threats

DARPA is putting together the Protean research program that would provide preventative protection against chemical…

14 hours ago

Tony Blair Institute calls for nationwide facial recognition, national police force & digital forensics agency

With sophisticated precrime tools at its disposal, the proposed national police force & digital forensics…

5 days ago

The Sociable’s 26 Marketing Leaders to Watch in 2026

Unlike large, traditional companies that have been in the market for decades or centuries, many…

5 days ago

The smart kitchen revolution: Why automation may be the next big health breakthrough

In an age of rising diet-related chronic diseases, how we eat matters just as much…

7 days ago

Prioritizing Morals and Mercy, Not Just Margins: Inside Crescite’s Catholic USD™ Launch 

Money is rarely about a higher purpose, particularly in a market defined by speed and…

7 days ago