Google has told the European competition commissioner that it will change its search system. The announcement follows two years of close scrutiny of the search engine by the European Commission amidst claims of monopoly and market dominance. Rivals had complained to the commssion about the way Google works and 4 main areas have been cited. These areas are:
- how Google favours its own services in search results
- how it displays content from other websites
- how it manages ads appearing next to search results
- how its actions affect marketers’ ability to buy ads on rival networks
If Google fails to address the above issues it could receive a multi billion dollar fine. Up to 10% of its annual revenue could be taken, which based on last years figures would put the fine at $3.8bn. Even by Google’s standards that’s a lot of money.
Europe is not the only place where Google is facing legal challenges relating to its market dominance. India, South Korea and even the US are all keeping a close, official eye on the search giant.
