Italy’s competitors authority AGCM mentioned on Thursday it has launched an investigation towards Google over an alleged abuse of dominant place in information portability. The watchdog mentioned in an announcement that Google allegedly hindered interoperability with different platforms, significantly with Weople, an app by Italian operator Hoda. “Google’s conduct could compress the right to portability of personal data… and could constrain the economic benefits that consumers can derive from their data,” the regulator mentioned, including that the alleged abuse may restrict competitors.
The competitors regulator carried out inspections on Wednesday at Google premises together with Italy’s finance police, it mentioned in an announcement.
Google was not instantly out there for remark.
Back in May, Britain’s competitors regulator launched its second probe into the promoting practices of the corporate, saying the Alphabet-owned search big may very well be distorting competitors and will have illegally favoured its personal providers.
The Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) probe follows its investigation into Google and Facebook owner-Meta’s “Jedi Blue” settlement earlier this yr.
The CMA had revealed it was analyzing three key components of the advert tech stack chain, providers that mediate advert tech, since Google owned the most important supplier in every of these elements.
Last yr, Britain’s competitors regulator opened a proper investigation into Amazon and Alphabet’s Google over issues the tech giants haven’t finished sufficient to fight faux opinions on their websites.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) mentioned it goals to collect additional info to find out whether or not the companies could have damaged client regulation by taking inadequate motion to guard buyers from faux opinions.
The transfer got here after an preliminary CMA investigation, which opened in May 2020, and assessed a number of platforms’ inner programs and processes for figuring out and coping with faux opinions.
The regulator mentioned it was additionally involved that Amazon’s programs had failed adequately to forestall and deter some sellers from manipulating product listings, by means of for instance co-opting optimistic opinions from different merchandise.
© Thomson Reuters 2022
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