Google could be forced to alter its search results in Europe, after accusations that it is favouring its own services over rivals, according to a new report.
Writing in the Financial Times Alex Barker and Richard Waters report that The European Union’s competition chief, Joaquin Almunia, said it is his “conviction” that Google is unfairly promoting links to its own services above those of third party companies, and that he fears it is abusing its dominant position.
Last week US regulators gave Google the all-clear, but Almunia, who is leading a Brussels’ investigation into the matter, made it clear that he will take the opposite stance.
“We are still investigating, but my conviction is [Google is] diverting traffic,” he told the Financial Times.
The report goes on to say that the level of change is unclear. It might just have to change the presentation of its own services.
Almunia is worred about “the way they present their own services” in search. Google might be forced to add disclaimers to its own products when they show up in search that say something like, “This is a Google service, which is why we have it so high up in our search results.”
If that’s all Google has to do, it’s getting off pretty easily, it seems. Especially if the EU is worried Google is “abusing” its power.
Google has been locked in the long-running row over whether it has changed its search results to give preferential treatment to links to its own services, at the expense of those from competitors.
Google chairman Eric Schmidt met with Mr Almunia shortly before Christmas to discuss possible ways in which the search engine could resolve the issue. Mr Almunia gave Google a month to come up with detailed proposals about potential concessions.
By contrast, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) hailed Google as “one of America’s Great Companies,” when it cleared the search giant of any wrongdoing last week. Although Google was changing the complex codes it was doing to so to improve the quality of results rather than to eliminate the competition, the FTC ruled.
Google’s rivals reacted angrily to the FTC judgment. Microsoft branded it “weak” and “unusual” and called on Brussels to take a firmer stance.
A Google spokesman said: “We continue to cooperate with the European Union.”
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There is absolutely no doubt that Google have manipulated the search results through a series of algorithmic changes (Panda’s Penguins etc) to focus on its own properties. This has caused a massive upset in so many businesses and has caused many people to lose their jobs and companies to shut down.
Travel and reviews is good example – now that Google owns Lonely Planet, Frommers and Zagat if you map these properties SERPs over time you can clearly see that they have been aided by their parents.
Google needs a very careful eye kept on it, it is there to make money and dominate – not to be as useful as it can to business or users.
Google needs pulling into line – rapidly. It’s not just the search results that are being distorted. If you have previously been searching for ANYTHING, don’t be surprised to see that when you land on websites, ads surprisingly relevant to your earlier searches on other websites appear. And with an uncanny level of specific detail to what you may have browsed a website for.
Big Brother Google is (ab)using its knowledge of your browsing to place (Google revenue contributing) ads on subsequent websites that you visit. To an obscenely detailed level that is patently intrusive on privacy.
Google Chrome has been reduced from being an excellent browser to being an info-gathering tool for Google to make more cash from all of us who use it.
Very interesting indeed. The mere presence and dominance of Google is an interesting challenge of our Capitalist ideals. It has and will continue to hold an absolute majority in one market, but they are a business, and as long as Gov. let them, then why shouldn’t they be allowed to show their own content? We are trying to treat them as an impartial provider of information and they simply are not. There are other search providers that anyone is free to use.
I find it interesting that people bemoan Google for maximising their own business interests, and don’t think to turn to the competition.
It’s a free market after all people! You don’t like their biased listings? Vote with your mouse and use a different search engine.
When was the last time you even tried Bing?