Six human and digital rights organizations have filed an antitrust complaint against Alphabet with the European Commission.

They claim Alphabet makes it difficult to uninstall pre-installed apps on Android, despite EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) rules requiring easy removal.

The DMA, enacted two years ago, regulates major tech companies, including Alphabet’s Google.

The organizations involved, including ARTICLE 19, European Digital Rights (EDRi), and Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE), claim that Alphabet’s Android platform hides the option to disable pre-installed apps.

They also argue that the platform discourages users from doing so.

Alphabet denies the claims, saying app removal on Android is simple and similar complaints were dismissed in the UK.

The European Commission has received the complaint and is reviewing it under standard procedures.

Recent Alphabet developments