Google facing fresh US antitrust investigation after billions in EU fines

Google
US officials are planning to investigate Google's business practices Credit: Getty

The US Department of Justice is preparing to investigate whether Google conducts anti-competitive business practices in its online searches.

The antitrust division has been preparing to tell the Search giant of its plans for some weeks, while working out whether the Justice Department’s antitrust specialists or the Federal Trade Commission should take the lead, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

The FTC previously opened an antitrust probe in 2013, but shut it down without taking action.

Google has been handed three antitrust fines from Europe under European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager. It has been fined $9.3bn by the EU in the last three years.

The charges have included abusing its dominance in the mobile phone market, forcing customers of its AdSense business to pledge they would not allow advertising from rivals on their websites, and unfairly promoting its preferred merchants on its shopping service, Google Shopping. It has since made updates to the services.

Last year, Google was hit with a record fine for abusing the dominance of its Android operating system, forcing smartphone companies to install Google-made apps on their phones. The investigation led to a £3.9bn fine.

Earlier this year, the Commission again hit Google with a £1.3bn fine over its investigation into AdSense.

The new US investigation is said to focus on whether Google gave preference to its own business during online searches.

US politicians, including Democratic Presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren, have pushed for further regulation of big technology companies. Warren has even called for the break-up of Google's businesses.

Google said it would not be commenting on the matter.

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