The announcement by Japan’s competition watchdog on Monday that it is looking into Alphabet-owned Google for suspected violations of antitrust laws over its search practises on mobile platforms increased the regulatory pressure on the American technology giant.
According to the Japan Fair Trade Commission, it is being looked at whether Google struck arrangements with manufacturers of Android smartphones to split money from search ads as long as the latter did not incorporate a competing search engine.
The agency is also investigating whether Google services are given precedence on Android mobile devices.
In order to complete the investigation by November 22nd, the Japan FTC is requesting independent opinions.
As a retort, Google stated that Android is a “open-source platform that has permitted a diversity” of partners and device manufacturers.
A Google representative told CNBC via email on Monday that the company’s products are “open and flexible, ensuring that customers always have the option to customise their devices to suit their needs, including the way they browse and search the internet or download apps.”
With a market share of almost 80% for smartphones, Google’s Android is the most popular mobile operating system in the world.
Source (CNBC)
