Google to be formally investigated over potential abuse of web dominance

[alp227]

Source: The Guardian

US regulators are poised to launch a formal investigation into whether Google has abused its dominance on the web, according to reports.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is days away from serving subpoenas on the internet giant in what could be the biggest investigation yet of the search company's business, according to The Wall Street Journal. Both Google and the FTC declined to comment.

A wide-ranging investigation into Google has been discussed for months. Google has faced several antitrust probes in recent years, and is already the subject of a similar investigation in Europe. In the US inquiries have so far largely been limited to reviews of the company's mergers and acquisitions.

The inquiry will examine the heart of Google's search-advertising business, and the source of most of Google's revenue. Google accounts for around two-thirds of internet searches in the US (and close to 90% in the UK) and according to critics unfairly uses that dominance to favour its own growing network of services.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jun/23/google-investigation-federal-trade-commission

[cstanleytech]

1. I'm not sure what good an investigation will do really since there are other search engines

like bing and yahoo to name a few unless of course it can be proven that google had contracts making it so that companies couldnt or wouldnt want to advertise with other search engines.

[customerserviceguy]

3. I'm in agreement

It's not like they have consumers by the short hairs here. We're free to use whatever search engines we want. As for businesses trying to advertise crap, tough toenails.

[Lithos]

4. Sort of funny you would say that

The only lock-in that I'm aware of is Microsoft cutting deals w/ companies so that Bing became the search engine.

L-

[24601]

2. The campaign contribution must have not arrived at the WH n/t

[BlueIris]

5. Suck it, Google. nt