The decision by the European Commission today to sanction Google for practices regarding the Android mobile operating system drives home the importance of true openness in the mobile ecosystem. These are complex issues, and we expect that we will be evaluating the remedies and their repercussions for some time. We are hopeful the result will help level the playing field for mobile browsers like Firefox, and to foster openness that creates and sustains competition and innovation.

For Mozilla, these issues of innovation, openness, and competition speak to our history. Twenty years ago, we made Firefox to combat the vertical integration of Microsoft Windows and Internet Explorer. Today, we are again witnessing vertical integration concerns on a larger scale, with powerful players at all parts of the internet ecosystem. Mozilla’s 2018 Internet Health Report identified decentralization as a major goal to promote a healthy internet.

Targeted, effective interventions can strengthen technology markets and are necessary to advance consumer welfare. Mozilla will continue to build competitive products and to advocate for effective policies and approaches to build a competitive and open technology ecosystem.