EU launches anti-trust investigation against Google.

[Christine Murray]

This is a straight link to the Telegraph reportage on the issue and will be added to as soon as other information becomes available.
Google are currently battered on a few fronts , though have made nice new pals in the NSA (so it's not all glum).

Google under investigation for alleged breach of EU competition rules - Telegraph

* This is the first time Google have fallen foul of EU anti-trust laws.

*Three search engine companies have made complaints against Google regarding Search Engine Penalisation against their
businesses : Foundem/Ciao/ejustice,fr.

>>> EU inquiry points the searchlight on Google's methods - Telegraph<<< (Previous investigations reported in the Telegraph).

>>>European Union Microsoft competition case - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia<<< (The History of the Microsoft/EU debacle)

Some blog response here, two of the companies have major MS type links : http://techcrunch.com/2010/02/23/eu-...gle-microsoft/

Google and the NSA (I menched it in the first para) : http://www.politics.ie/education-sci...ompetence.html

[mazzington]

Pretty pathetic effort by Microsoft. They can't beat Google fair and square so they resort to this bullcrap.

Google does indeed penalise sites that try to increase their search rankings unfairly and Microsoft are obviously just sour that they're attempts to subvert Google's ranking system (a very democratic ranking system in my opnion) have backfired.

[Christine Murray]

Pretty pathetic effort by Microsoft. They can't beat Google fair and square so they resort to this bullcrap.

Google does indeed penalise sites that try to increase their search rankings unfairly and Microsoft are obviously just sour that they're attempts to subvert Google's ranking system (a very democratic ranking system in my opnion) have backfired.

I presume ye are reacting to the Blogger info : EU Opens Antitrust Investigation Into Google. Microsoft’s Fingerprints Are Everywhere.

(Though saying that, MicroSoft has had it's own EU stuff for *years* now, I left a Wiki-link on the OP re the MS debacle...)

[mazzington]

I presume ye are reacting to the Blogger info...[/url]

Yup.

It's no harm for Google to come under the microscope, but I can't see any of the accusations being upheld. If Google had any sense, they'd spend more time highlighting the insane amounts of money they spend on refining and increasing the fairness / democracy of their ranking and advertising systems.

[Christine Murray]

some Twitter linkage here, which includes the Google response : Looking at the Google anti-trust investigation

[Mouroux]

I just caught the tail end of this on the RTE one news. Some spokesperson from google was reading out a statement saying that this "threatens to undermine the very freedom" that the internet offers etc.

[cHeal]

I just caught the tail end of this on the RTE one news. Some spokesperson from google was reading out a statement saying that this "threatens to undermine the very freedom" that the internet offers etc.

No, that was another issue altogether.

[Christine Murray]

aye , they're in the news a lot, this is their response Via Patrick Atlof's blog (linked above ^) : Google Public Policy Blog: Committed to competing fairly

[Christine Murray]

The Irish Times are reporting both the anti-trust investigations and the Italian case in the Business pages this afternoon :Early inquiry into Google anti-trust allegations - The Irish Times - Thu, Feb 25, 2010

[Christine Murray]

the Telegraph is reporting that a similar suit has been sent to the FCC here >> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technolog...ell-as-EC.html