“Federal Trade Commission officials are asking questions again about whether Google has abused its dominance in the Internet search market, a sign that the agency may be taking steps to reopen an investigation it closed more than three years ago, according to sources familiar with the discussions,” Nancy Scola reports for Politico.
“Senior antitrust officials at the FTC have discussed the matter in recent months with representatives of a major U.S. company that objects to Google’s practices, according to sources with the company,” Scola reports. “While the inquiry appears to be in the early, information-gathering stage, it signals renewed agency interest in the kind of search case it examined — but ultimately closed without charges — in 2013.”
“When the FTC ended its earlier Google probe, critics said the agency — which secured a handful of concessions from Google on patents and some business practices — had essentially delivered a slap on the wrist to the search giant, which has a heavy lobbying presence in Washington,” Scola reports. “Since then, the European Union has charged Google with anti-competitive behavior for allegedly manipulating search results to favor its own shopping services and and using its Android mobile operating system to secure better placement of its apps with smartphone makers.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Time to up that “heavy lobbying presence in Washington,” Google. Do know evil.
Google’s “don’t be evil” mantra? “It’s bullshit.” – Steve Jobs
SEE ALSO:
Eric Schmidt-backed startup stealthily working to put Hillary Clinton in the White House – October 9, 2015
U.S. FTC report details how Google skewed search results in its own favor – March 20, 2015
The FTC’s missed opportunity on Google – January 4, 2013
Google to settle U.S. FTC antitrust probe, sources say – January 2, 2013
Obama to reward Google’s Schmidt with Cabinet post? – December 5, 2012
Google outfoxes U.S. FCC – April 17, 2012
Consumer Watchdog calls for probe of Google’s inappropriate relationship with Obama administration – January 25, 2011
Wired: Google, CIA Invest in ‘future’ of Web monitoring – July 29, 2010
Assume your standard position on all fours Eric Schmidthead, and swallow every drop the FTC has to give you, earn your Screwggle paycheck the way you always have you mole.
Doesn’t Eric Schmidt work with the U.S. military now? And by association, doesn’t this mean that Google is part of the U.S. government? Why would the Feds want to investigate their own people? Maybe Google should start obfuscating positive Republican stories.
As long as there are successful forks of Android (e.g. Cyanogen OS, Fire OS, BlackCircle OS, etc.) of which Google Android is but one, I doubt the probe will result in any heavy penalties.
“successful”? By what measure? I see no presence in the marketplace worth speaking of.
Cyanogen may be hard to measure as the majority of that fork is installed by rooting the device originally using Google Android but is the standard forked OS in OnePlusOne smartphones and a nice share of the Indian State sponsored devices. BlackCircle is really a small group of high security minded users. FireOS is in all Amazon Fire devices. All 3 remain viable in the current marketplace as they continue to exist and be sold and as such I consider them ‘successful’.