COMPETITION - After Europe is on the side of Washington that Google is in trouble ...
United States, establish a dominant position is not an offense. But to take advantage and abuse is punishable by law. According to the Wall Street Journal , the FTC, Constable American competition, set to launch antitrust proceedings against Google. The most serious to date.
This is only the first step by sending a formal notice inviting company executives to explain. Google has already had to report several times, including its acquisitions. But this time, it is its core business, the couple recherche/publicité- the Mountain View company will have to defend.
Competitors put together
Central question of interest already Brussels: Google helps there own sites and services (YouTube, Maps, Shopping, etc.) to the detriment of competition? Impossible to know without looking at the sacred ranking algorithm, kept secret by the company.
In a large study , Ben Edelman, assistant professor at Harvard (and occasional consultant to Microsoft), concluded that all engines self-promoted, but that Google was doing more than others. Problem, as noted by Danny Sullivan of SearchEngineLand , test a few keywords on multiple engines not scientific. Should correlate the relative popularity of each service position in the results (and even then, it would still add direct access to each site, excluding motor). Results "maps" or "video" it is emphasized by the algorithm as Google Maps and YouTube are the most popular sites, or are they the most popular because they are put forward? It's a bit of a chicken and egg.
Still, some actors, such as price comparison, are raised. Since the update algorithm with the Panda is the slaughter. Within months, "Google Product" went number one, including doubling Ciao (owned by Bing). Tour operators such as Expedia, are worried, especially since Google's acquisition of ITA Software appoints to $ 700 million (which will allow Google to offer a solution Reservation house). Irony of the case, the purchase has been approved by the authorities, despite a thorough examination of the competitive situation.
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