EU Accuses Google Of Abuse Of Dominance In Search Engine

The competition commissioner said she had issued a “statement of objection”, stating that the firm’s promotion of its own shopping links amounted to an abuse of its dominance in search. BBC reports:

 Margrethe Vestager said Google now had 10 weeks to respond. The firm said it “strongly disagreed” with the allegations and looked forward to making its case. Ms Vestager also revealed that she had launched an investigation into whether the way Google bundled apps and services for its Android operating system was unfair.

And the commissioner said the EU would continue to monitor other activities by Google that its rivals had complained about. It follows a five-year investigation into the company and could ultimately lead to billions of euros of fines.
Google accounts for more than a 90% of EU-based web searches, something the EU described as a “dominant” position.