Google told to make more concessions in antitrust case
EU commissioners demand more from search giant over antitrust probe.


Google must offer more concessions in its on-going spat with EU regulators over the firm's conduct in Europe.
EU commissioners confirmed they have written to Google chairman Eric Schmidt for further assurances from the company over the EU's antitrust investigation into the company.
Recent proposals from search giant were deemed "insufficient" by Brussels, prolonging the three-year investigation into its activities.
"After the analysis of the market test that was concluded on June 27, I concluded that the proposals that Google sent to us are not enough to overcome our concerns," said European Union Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia in a press briefing.
The company had previously proposed to display links to rival services and separate promoted links from search results more clearly, and allow websites to opt-out of Google's use of the content in search results.
Almunia said he asked Schmidt to "present better proposals".
Google has not commented directly on Almunia's statement but said it was still working with the Commission on the case.
Get the ITPro daily newsletter
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives
"Our proposal to the European Commission clearly addresses the four areas of concern," said a Google spokesman. "We continue to work with the commission to settle this case."
As reported by IT Pro in May, EU regulators hinted they expected Google to come up with further concessions to settle the matter. While Google had submitted proposals, its rivals did not think the concessions went far enough then and still don't now.
"Google's proposed commitments across the board retard rather than promote competition," Thomas Vinje, a spokesman for Fairsearch Europe, which represents Google's competitors, said in a statement.
It pointed to research it commissioned in June from University of Illinois professor David Hyman and University of San Francisco Professor David Franklyn. Their findings showed the proposals offered by Google "would have no significant impact and may in fact further confuse consumers," FairSearch said.
If no solution is found, Google could be fined up to ten per cent of its global revenues.
Rene Millman is a freelance writer and broadcaster who covers cybersecurity, AI, IoT, and the cloud. He also works as a contributing analyst at GigaOm and has previously worked as an analyst for Gartner covering the infrastructure market. He has made numerous television appearances to give his views and expertise on technology trends and companies that affect and shape our lives. You can follow Rene Millman on Twitter.
-
Should AI PCs be part of your next hardware refresh?
AI PCs are fast becoming a business staple and a surefire way to future-proof your business
By Bobby Hellard Published
-
Westcon-Comstor and Vectra AI launch brace of new channel initiatives
News Westcon-Comstor and Vectra AI have announced the launch of two new channel growth initiatives focused on the managed security service provider (MSSP) space and AWS Marketplace.
By Daniel Todd Published
-
Open source advocates "cautiously optimistic" about Cyber Resilience Act after industry pushback prompts changes
News Amendments to the Cyber Resilience Act in December curtailed the potential impact on open source developers in the region, an industry body has said
By Solomon Klappholz Published
-
Reprieve for open source industry as agreement reached on Cyber Resilience Act
News The Cyber Resilience Act has been maligned by open source advocates across Europe
By Ross Kelly Published
-
What's the EU's problem with open source?
Analysis The open source community has raised concerns about a raft of new regulatory changes in the EU in recent months
By Ross Kelly Published
-
EU Cyber Resilience Act a ‘death knell’ for open source software, critics warn
News Critics of the act claim that requirements for open source software usage could severely impact the community
By Ross Kelly Published
-
Swedish privacy concerns result in fines over Google Analytics
News Swedish privacy authority ordered companies to stop using the ubiquitous web traffic analysis tool, in line with recent EU rulings
By Richard Speed Published
-
Researcher says criticising Google cost him his job
News Barry Lynn sets up new group to address platform monopolies after being pushed out at Google-funded New America
By Nicole Kobie Published
-
£130 million Google-UK tax deal could be squashed by EU
News SNP and Labor question terms of perceived low-rate deal
By Jane McCallion Published
-
Google blames search “monopoly” on bug
News Glitch was responsible for Yelp and TripAdvisor getting buried in search results, claims search engine giant
By Rene Millman Published