Google faces UK investigation over search dominance
Britain's competition watchdog has launched an investigation into Google into whether it has too much power in online searches.
Google controls 90% of web searches – and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is investigating whether it uses this dominance to harm competition or user choice.
This is the first investigation under new powers given to the firm to investigate and impose changes on companies it determines have a “strategic market position” in digital markets.
The CMA said it wanted to ensure the tech giant “delivered good outcomes for people and businesses” and provided a “level playing field” for rivals.
Google said in a statement: “We will continue to engage constructively with the CMA to ensure the new rules benefit all types of websites and still allow the British people to benefit from useful and advanced services.”
It's the latest in a series of investigations Google faces around the world over its vast power in search and advertising technology.
In the United States, Government wants it to sell its browser Chrometo solve competition problems.
The CMA said potential changes it could implement include sharing data collected by Google with other businesses, or giving publishers more oversight of how their data is used for its artificial intelligence (AI) features.
“Millions of people and businesses across the UK rely on Google for search and advertising,” CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said on Tuesday.
“For businesses, whether you are a competing search engine, advertiser or news organization, we want to ensure a level playing field for all businesses, big and small, to succeed,” she added, in particular. Consider the potential of artificial intelligence to “transform” markets.
The CMA's announcement of an investigation into Google search and advertising comes after the competition regime for digital markets came into force in January.
It gives the CMA the power to investigate companies it believes may dominate an industry or occupy a key strategic position.
one There is an explainer on its website says a company must meet several conditions to be determined to have a “strategic market position.”
These include having a UK turnover of more than £1 billion or a global turnover of more than £25 billion, having a strategic position or “entrenched market power” in certain digital activities.
China Meteorological Administration explain It will examine whether Google uses its position in search to prevent rivals from innovating or entering the market, or whether it “self-prefers” its own services.
It will also investigate whether Google collects large amounts of user data without proper, informed consent.
Ms Caddell said: “Our job is to ensure that people fully benefit from choice and innovation in search services and receive a fair deal, for example in how their data is collected and stored.”
If Google is found to have a strategic market position, it will have nine months to investigate and have two options: impose rules on its conduct or introduce interventions aimed at promoting competition.
This comes after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer Praising AI's “huge potential” to transform public services.
Sir Keir said in a speech on Monday that the recommendations of the AI Opportunity Action Plan – a series of proposals backed by a number of technology companies – would be implemented in a range of areas to help the economy grow and make AI “work for working people” “.