$6B fine is apparently possible in EU probe of Google
WASHINGTON – American technology powerhouse Google will face charges of violating antitrust regulations from the European Union’s Competition Commissioner, according to reports.
Margrethe Vestager, former prime minister of Denmark, is expected to make an announcement Wednesday, the Financial Times reports.
The charges reportedly allege that Google steered Internet traffic to proprietary services at the expense of competitors.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Google could potentially face fines of more than $6 billion.
EU regulators have previously alleged that this overwhelming dominance has allowed Google to unfairly promote its own Internet services over competitors.
The Wall Street Journal further reported that the its publisher News Corporation on April 14 “filed a formal complaint with the EU Commission regarding Google’s competition practices, a News Corp spokesman said.”
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission abandoned an antitrust probe into Google in 2013. The move by the FTC to drop the investigation prompted a backlash by lawmakers and sparked a Senate probe into Google’s apparently cozy relationship with the White House.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust said at the time he was “concerned that Google’s access to the administration could have biased the investigation.”
Google has a global presence with 53,000 employees and revenue last year of $66 billion.
The company is often viewed by other technology firms and enterprises in general as a leader in Internet monetization and corporate culture.
