Google faces new antitrust charges in Europe, up to $7 billion in fines

Google is again under investigation in Europe for antitrust violations, Europe’s competition chief Margrethe Vestager recently announced. The investigation will focus on the company’s advertising products, which regulators argue restrict consumer choice. This will be the third European investigation into Google’s business practices since early 2015, and could result in $7 billion in fines.

“Google’s conduct, based on our evidence, is harmful to consumers,” Vestager said. “Google’s magnificent innovations don’t give it the right to deny competitors the chance to innovate.”

This isn’t the first time the search giant has been accused of anti-competitive business practices, abroad or at home. In 2012, Google competitors Yelp and Nextag testified before Congress that the company was unfairly giving their websites low quality rankings, steering Internet users toward Google services. That same year, Google settled charges with the Federal Trade Commission for a mere $22.5 million.

Links:

Google Faces New Round of Antitrust Charges in Europe (New York Times, July 14, 2016)

FTC may pursue Google (Speed Matters, Oct. 15, 2012)