Tuesday, September 07, 2010

Inquiry Zeroes In on Google Deal - WSJ.com

A sign of the times for the Googleplex

So far, the company has been blocked by federal antitrust authorities only once — when it sought an advertising agreement with Web search rival Yahoo Inc. two years ago. But it faces closer scrutiny each time it buys a new company.

One concern is whether the company is using its dominance in Web search to give an unfair advantage to its other ventures. Google's critics say the company has a history of directing users to its own services at the expense of rivals'. When users search for a location or product, for example, Google sometimes brings up Google Maps or Google Product Search results above all other results.

And some critics also have claimed Google pushes links to competitors' sites lower in search results.

Inquiry Zeroes In on Google Deal - WSJ.com

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