City
Epaper

US expands Google probe into Search, Android

By IANS | Updated: November 15, 2019 11:10 IST

In fresh trouble for Google, 50 US Attorneys General probing its anti-trust market practices have decided to expand the investigation into the tech giant's Android and Search businesses.

Open in App

CNBC reported on Thursday that the investigation has widened and Attorneys General will begin to examine whether the company has acted anti-competitively with its Search and Android software products.

"At this point, the multistate investigation is focused solely on online advertising; however, as always, the facts we discover as the investigation progresses will determine where the investigation ultimately leads," a spokesman for the Texas Attorney General was quoted as saying.

In September, 50 state Attorneys General, led by Texas, launched an investigation into Google's "potential monopolistic behaviour".

"This is a company that dominates all aspects of advertising on the internet, as they dominate the buyer, seller and auction side," Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was quoted as saying.

"If advertising costs are higher, advertisers pay more, and ultimately that's passed on to consumers," he added.

Google's senior vice president of global affairs, Kent Walker, wrote in a blog post: "We have answered many questions on these issues over many years, in the United States as well as overseas, across many aspects of our business, so this is not new for us. We have always worked constructively with regulators and we will continue to do so."

Google is also under an anti-trust probe over a new Internet Protocol that could give the tech giant an unfair competitive advantage.

The US House Judiciary Committee is investigating Google's plans to implement DNS-over-HTTPS in Chrome, a new standard that aims to improve internet privacy and security by encryption, media reports said.

The House has sent a letter to Google, asking if it would use data handled via new Internet protocol for commercial purposes.

The European Union's anti-trust regulators in March fined Google 1.49 billion euros ($1.7 billion) for abusing its dominance in the online search market by blocking rivals.

"Google has abused its market dominance by imposing a number of restrictive clauses in contracts with third-party websites which prevented Google's rivals from placing their search adverts on these websites," the European Commission (EC) said in a statement.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: googleTexasKen PaxtonAttorneys Generalhouse
Open in App

Related Stories

Technology'In Memory of Victims': What Does the Black Ribbon Below Google Search Bar Mean?

Social ViralToday’s Google Googly: Where Did the Arabic Numerals Originate? Find the Correct Answer Here

TechnologyWhy Is Google Lens Coming to YouTube Shorts and What Can It Do?

EntertainmentGoogle and Kamal Haasan’s RKFI Join Forces to Launch an Interactive Search Animation for Thug Life

CricketToday’s Google Googly: What Is a Diamond Duck? Find the Correct Answer Here

टेकमेनिया Realted Stories

TechnologyDGCA gives clean chit to Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet amid thorough inspection

TechnologyNo major safety concerns with Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet: DGCA

TechnologyAndhra Pradesh plans to establish three circular economy parks

TechnologyIPO-bound Arisinfra's net loss widens to Rs 17.3 crore, revenue drops nearly 7 pc in FY24

TechnologyUnion Minister Jitendra Singh reviews progress of science and technology institutes in Northeast