E.U. Opens Antitrust Investigation Into Google

[The Straight Story]

E.U. Opens Antitrust Investigation Into Google


BRUSSELS — The top European antitrust regulator opened an investigation into Google on Tuesday to examine allegations that the Internet giant has abused its dominance in online search.

The move follows complaints by specialized search-related companies about “unfavorable treatment of their services in Google’s unpaid and sponsored search results,” the European Commission said in a statement.

The commission said that it was also looking into whether Google may have given its own services “preferential placement” in search results. In addition to its search engine, Google has a growing number of other online businesses, including mapping, translation, video and electronic commerce services, many of which, like the search engine, are supported by advertising.

The investigation goes beyond the scrutiny the U.S. company so far has received at home. Authorities in the United States have been examining Google’s acquisitions and actions for indications that its market power may be anti-competitive, but have not brought any formal proceedings.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/01/technology/01google.html?_r=1&hp

[OlympicBrian]

1. Well here's one for ya...what about anti I-1098 site being top Google hit?

During the recent election, Washington State had a progressive tax initiative, I-1098. The initiative got national attention. When I did a Google search for "I-1098" I came up with anti- I-1098 websites. In particular, the top hit was on a very fancy anti- I-1098 site!

I later learned that some high-tech big names spend a whopping $6.3 million to defeat I-1098, including Steve Ballmer of Microsoft and Jeff Bezos of Amazon.

The measure was defeated.

The question is, why were the negative I-1098 sites--and the fancy one in particular--at the top of the list? That site seems to have now disappeared altogether from Google search.

This kind of question is at the heart of the EU investigation. Could somebody have paid or otherwise manipulated things to have the negative I-1098 sites show as the top hits during the election?

About I-1098:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/03/i-1098-washington-tax-initiative-fails-_n_778067.html