Google To Face New Antitrust Woes In The US: reports
The US Federal Trade Commission is set to investigate Google over anti-competitive practices regarding its online advertising business, according to reports.
According to Bloomberg and Reuters, the US FTC will look at whether Google used its online advertising clout to pressure companies into taking on more of its other services.
The inquiry focuses on tools acquired when Google bought display ad company DoubleClick in 2007; other firms which specialize in helping Web publishers sell ads to put on their websites are complaining to the FTC, Reuters said.
The FTC's move comes just a few months after the comission had wrapped up a review of Google's search engine business forcing the search giant to make a number of changes to its search engine business practices.
Google is also in talks with European antitrust investigators to wrap up a separate antitrust probe, and has offered to change some search pages to give more space to rivals in order to satisfy their concerns.
Canada?s Competition Bureau is also preparing to start a formal inquiry into Google?s search practices, the company disclosed last week.
The inquiry focuses on tools acquired when Google bought display ad company DoubleClick in 2007; other firms which specialize in helping Web publishers sell ads to put on their websites are complaining to the FTC, Reuters said.
The FTC's move comes just a few months after the comission had wrapped up a review of Google's search engine business forcing the search giant to make a number of changes to its search engine business practices.
Google is also in talks with European antitrust investigators to wrap up a separate antitrust probe, and has offered to change some search pages to give more space to rivals in order to satisfy their concerns.
Canada?s Competition Bureau is also preparing to start a formal inquiry into Google?s search practices, the company disclosed last week.
