EC looks at Google probe
THE European Commission (EC) hinted it could launch a formal anti-trust probe into Google’s internet search dominance yesterday, following three complaints from rivals in February.
Joaquin Almunia, Brussels’ leading competition official, told a conference in London he was looking into “some allegations of anti-competitive conduct in relation to search”. “The work is at an early stage, but given the importance of search to a competitive online marketplace, I am looking at the allegations very carefully,” he said.
Google enjoys a 95 per cent share of the European search market, but Almunia said the commission was concerned with questions such as barriers to entry for similar companies, how easily a consumer can switch from one service to another, and whether an established player uses its dominance to stop others advancing in related markets.