Google CEO meets with EU head to respond to anti-trust allegations

Google Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai will be flying to Brussels this week for a meeting with European Union (EU) commissioner Margarethe Vestager to respond to the Union's unabated concerns that the search engine giant's alleged monopolistic practices is unfairly eliminating competition in the region.

Times of India traces the history of this digital turf war. The EU has had a long-running investigation into Google's practices. The first revolves around Google's supposed questionable tactics like channeling the traffic from competitors, shopping website Kelkoo, into its own consumer portals. The second has to do with Google's partnership with telecommunications leader, Android, which provides 80% of all the smart phones in the world. The EU has sent off a list of its concerns to Google last year. Google replied that the complaints were unfounded; at the same time, it offered three settlement proposals, all of which the EU rejected.

Google stands to face billions of dollars in penalties should the EU find it guilty of breaking its anti-trust laws.

Google, the search engine, focuses its efforts mostly on internet activity, Android apps, and YouTube videos. The other produtcts and services it invented but do not fall under this category are now managed by Google's new parent company, Alphabet.

The Sonoran Weekly Review adds that the EU has been asking other online parties about Google's competitor behavior apparently to support its case.

The article also itemizes Google's other online products: Ads, Apps, Cloud, Chrome, Commerce, Google Play, Maps, Search, Commerce, and YouTube.  Innovations such as Chromebooks, Chromecast, Nexus, and Virtual Reality also come under its umbrella.

Reuters blogger Robert Cryan suggests that EU's latest salvo might resurrect similar efforts in the U.S. American anti-trust authorities' probes into Google had yielded no tangible results of monopolistic abuse. However, they may launch another inquiry if the EU's own probes turn out to be encouraging.

Tags

Google, Alphabet, Sundar Pichai, Margarethe Vestager, European Union, anti-trust

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