Internet search services provider Google, Inc., US, has announced that its methods for recommending websites are being reviewed by Texas' attorney general. The investigation was spurred by complaints that the company had abused its power as the Internet's dominant search engine.
The antitrust inquiry disclosed by Google is seen as just the latest sign of the intensifying scrutiny facing the company as it enters its adolescence. Since its inception in a Silicon Valley garage 12 years ago, Google is observed to have gone from a quirky startup to one of the world's most influential businesses with annual revenue approaching $30 billion.
A spokesman for Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott confirmed the investigation, but declined further comment. The review appears to be focused on whether Google is manipulating its search results to stifle competition. The pecking order of those results can make or break websites because Google's search engine processes about two-thirds of the search requests in the US and handles even more volume in some parts of the world.
That dominance means a website ranking high on the first page of Google's results will likely attract more traffic and generate more revenue, either from ads or merchandise sales.
European regulators already have been investigating complaints alleging that Google has been favouring its own services in its results instead of rival websites.
Several lawsuits filed in the US have also alleged Google's search formula is biased. Google believes Abbott is the first state attorney general to open an antitrust review into the issue.
According to Google, its closely guarded search formula strives to recommend websites that are most likely to satisfy the needs of each user's request. Regulators and lawmakers in the US and Europe also have been looking into Google's privacy practices and its acquisitions as the company tries to fortify its power.
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