The European Union (EU) alleged that Google abused its dominant position in the markets for general internet search services, and also opened a separate antitrust investigation into Google's mobile operating system Android, announced the European Commission on Wednesday.
The Commission said in a press statement it had sent a "Statement of Objections" to Google, charging that Google systematically favored its own comparison shopping product in its general search results pages, which the commission believed infringes EU antitrust rules because it stifles competition and harms consumers.
Moreover, the Commission formally opened a separate antitrust investigation into Google's conduct as regards the mobile operating system Android, which will focus on whether Google has entered into anti-competitive agreements or abused a possible dominant position in the field of operating systems, applications and services for smart mobile devices.
"The Commission's objective is to apply EU antitrust rules to ensure that companies operating in Europe, wherever they may be based, do not artificially deny European consumers as wide a choice as possible or stifle innovation," said Margrethe Vestager, EU Commissioner in charge of competition policy.
"In the case of Google I am concerned that the company has given an unfair advantage to its own comparison shopping service, in breach of EU antitrust rules. Google now has the opportunity to convince the Commission to the contrary. However, if the investigation confirmed our concerns, Google would have to face the legal consequences and change the way it does business in Europe," she added.
Talking about the antitrust investigation of Google's Android, the commissioner said that smartphones, tablets and similar devices played an increasing role in many people's daily lives, and "I want to make sure the markets in this area can flourish without anticompetitive constraints imposed by any company."
