Google faces major probe under UK’s new antitrust rules

• Published On: 14 January 2025 at 18:18

On Tuesday, the UK Competition and Markets Authority announced that it has launched a formal antitrust investigation into Google's search and advertising services.

The investigation will look into whether Google has "strategic market status" under the new Digital Markets, Competition, and Consumers Act, which could subject the company to additional regulations and oversight aimed at promoting competition in digital markets.

The Digital Markets, Competition, and Consumers Act is intended to prevent anti-competitive behaviour in digital markets by granting regulators the authority to intervene if a company is deemed to have "strategic market status".

If Google is designated as having SMS, the UK Competition and Markets Authority may impose measures to prevent anti-competitive behaviour.

At the time of the announcement, Google's parent company, Alphabet, had not responded.

The CMA's CEO, Sarah Cardell, stated that the regulator's investigation into Google's dominance in the search market aims to ensure a "level playing field," especially as advances in artificial intelligence transform the way people search online.

"It's our job to ensure people get the full benefit of choice and innovation in search services and get a fair deal — for example in how their data is collected and stored," Cardell told CNN.

"And for businesses, whether you are a rival search engine, an advertiser or a news organisation, we want to ensure there is a level playing field for all businesses, large and small, to succeed," she claimed.

The CMA's investigation comes shortly after the US Department of Justice moved to require Google to divest its Chrome browser, citing the company's monopoly in the search market.

The DOJ's legal action seeks to dismantle Google, claiming that its dominance in search stifles competition.