Tech

German watchdog puts Google under closer antitrust scrutiny

Editorial Bureau January 6, 2022

LONDON — Germany’s antitrust watchdog paved the way Wednesday for extra scrutiny of Google by designating it a company of “paramount significance,” the first to get that label since regulators got more power to curb abusive practices by big digital companies. The Bundeskartellamt said its

Business

Companies rethink return-to-office plans amid omicron cases

Editorial Bureau December 10, 2021

NEW YORK — Companies of all sizes are rethinking their plans to send workers back to the office as the new omicron variant adds another layer of uncertainty. Alphabet’s Google and the nation’s second largest automaker Ford Co. are among those once again delaying their return-to-office plans, while other businesses whose employees have already returned […]

Tech

EU court rejects Google’s appeal of $2.4B antitrust fine

Editorial Bureau November 10, 2021

LONDON — A top European Union court on Wednesday rejected Google’s appeal of a 2.4 billion euro ($2.8 billion) fine from regulators who found the tech giant abused its massive online reach by giving its own shopping recommendations an illegal advantage in its search results. The European Commission, the 27-nation bloc’s competition watchdog, punished Google […]

UK

Facebook, Google, Twitter face grilling by UK lawmakers

Editorial Bureau October 28, 2021

LONDON — British lawmakers are set to grill Facebook and other tech giants Thursday over how they handle online safety as European efforts to regulate social media companies gain momentum. Representatives from Facebook, Google, Twitter and TikTok will be questioned by members of a parliamentary committee scrutinizing the British government’s draft online safety

Tech

India antitrust probe finds Google abused Android dominance, report shows

Editorial Bureau September 18, 2021

NEW DELHI (India) – Google abused the dominant position of its Android operating system in India, using its “huge financial muscle” to illegally hurt competitors, the country’s antitrust authority found in a report on its two-year probe seen by Reuters. Alphabet Inc’s Google reduced “the ability and incentive of device manufacturers to

Tech

Google, Apple remove Navalny app from stores as Russian elections begin

Editorial Bureau September 17, 2021

MOSCOW (Russia) – Alphabet’s Google and Apple have removed jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s tactical voting app from their stores, his team said on Friday, after Russia accused the U.S. tech firms of meddling in its internal affairs. Russia goes to the polls on Friday to elect a new parliament in a three-day vote that […]

Tech

Google under new EU antitrust probe – MLex reporter

Editorial Bureau September 9, 2021

Alphabet Inc’s Google is facing a renewed EU antitrust investigation into whether it may have forced device manufacturers to use Google Assistant as the default voice assistant on Android devices, an MLex reporter tweeted on Thursday. The latest investigation comes amid concerns of potential anti-competitive practices in the race for market dominance among

Tech

Australia mulling new laws for Apple, Google, WeChat digital wallets

Editorial Bureau August 30, 2021

SYDNEY (AUSTRALIA) – The Australian government is mulling new laws that would tighten the regulation of digital payment services by tech giants such as Apple and Alphabet’s Google. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said he would “carefully consider” that and other recommendations from a government-commissioned report into whether the payments system had

Tech

Russia imposes fine on Google for not removing banned content

Editorial Bureau August 17, 2021

MOSCOW (RUSSIA) -A Moscow court on Tuesday fined Alphabet Inc’s Google a total of 10.5 million roubles ($142,877) for violating Russian rules on banned content, the penalty coming amid a wider stand-off between Russia and Big Tech companies. Russia has routinely fined social media giants for failing to remove prohibited content and is seeking to […]

Business

Google says Microsoft balking at turning over documents in antitrust fight

Editorial Bureau July 30, 2021

WASHINGTON (US) – Highlighting that Microsoft has failed to comply with a subpoena, according to a court filing unsealed late Thursday, Alphabet’s Google has asked a judge hearing the Justice Department’s antitrust lawsuit against the search and advertising giant to compel Microsoft to turn over documents. Google served a subpoena to Microsoft [MSFT.O]