Google compromises with German antitrust authorities to remove news service from search results

According to reports, the German antitrust agency “Federal Cartel Office” (FCO) said today that in order to avoid further antitrust investigations, Google has proposed to remove its news service News from search results. Contents of Showcase.

Germany’s Federal Cartel Office announced on Wednesday that it had decided to launch a broader antitrust investigation into Google and its parent company Alphabet under the authority granted by the latest antitrust law. The Federal Cartel Office also said at the time that it was already investigating Google’s use of personal data more intensively, as well as its “News Showcase” news service.

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Partnering with Google could attract publishers and other news providers and provide consumers with better information services, the Federal Cartel Office said. However, it must be ensured that the process does not discriminate against individual publishers. Google’s strong position in reaching end customers cannot force other news publishers or providers out of the competition.

In fact, as early as last June, the Federal Cartel Office launched an antitrust investigation into the Google News Showcase. News Showcase, a news showcase platform launched by Google in October 2020, has signed cooperation agreements with nearly 200 publishers around the world.

Regarding Google’s proposal today, the Federal Cartel Office said it would consult with affected news publishers to assess whether Google’s proposal is valid. Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in 2020 that he plans to invest $1 billion in three years to promote the development of News Showcase, and will continue to expand the plan after that.

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