The power of Google to determine what information we see, and when, is enormous. Apparently, the U.S. government is worried Google has abused that power.
The Federal Trade Commission is on the verge of opening a formal civil investigation to see if Google has stifled competition on the Web. The FTC has been unofficially watching Google’s business practices for months. So far, it seems, the anti-trust watchdog doesn’t like what it sees. The Wall Street Journal says the FTC is about to issue subpoenas to Google to get more information. It has also talked to a number of Google’s competitors, who I am sure will be more than willing to demonstrate why the search giant is too powerful.
(PHOTOS: A History of Google Doodles)
It is only the latest probe into Google’s practices. Back in December, TIME.com’s own Techland covered the growing claims by competitors that Google’s search results favored the company’s content over others. The European Union has its own team of investigators looking into anti-trust violations. And a U.S. Senate subcommittee is drawing up plans for a hearing. The subcommittee chairman is considering hauling CEO Larry Page and chairman Eric Schmidt to Washington for a Wall Street–like grilling.
