Microsoft may face massive EU fines for 'failing' to give users choice of web browser

London, July 18 (ANI): Software firm Microsoft could face massive fines from European competition authorities after it failed to give millions of customers the ability to choose web browsers.

The firm admitted it had "fallen short" of its obligations under a 2009 antitrust settlement which compel it to offer PC owners the opportunity to choose software from rivals such as Google and Mozilla as their main web browser.

According to The Telegraph, Microsoft said it had failed to provide the choice of browsers, other than its own, Internet Explorer.

The firm said it happened because of a "technical error" built into "service pack 1", the first major update to Windows 7, introduced in 2010.

Microsoft said it would distribute an update to offer a browser choice to Windows PCs, and also offered to extend the settlement with anti-trust officials by 15 months.

According to the paper, the European Commission has powers to issue fines of up to 10 per cent of Microsoft's annual revenues, which were almost 70 billion dollars in 2011.

In 2008, it levied a penalty of 899 Euros on the firm for failing to meet its obligation to share Windows compatibility information with rivals. (ANI)