The Competition Commission of India (CCI) is conducting a probe against Google over allegations of anti-competitive practices made by a consumer advocacy group. The revelation was made by R.P.N. Singh, minister of state for corporate affairs, in a written reply to Parliament.
The minister further revealed that the CCI had received a complaint that Google had violated section 4 of the Competition Act, 2002. The section deals with the abuse of dominant position by a market player.
“The CCI, which is quasi-judicial regulator body has ordered an investigation in the matter of Director General, CCI,” he said in a response to a query whether the CCI was conducting a probe on a complaint filed by an NGO, named CUTS International. No further details were given by the minister.
Google’s spokesperson Paroma Rou Chowdhury, meanwhile, said that the company was cooperating with the competition watchdog. “We’re confident that our products are compliant with competition law in India,” she said in a statement.
It’s not the first time Google has come under scanner of the CCI. Earlier this year, the CCI had launched an investigation against Google’s AdWords services after the popular matrimonial website BharatMatrimony.com accused Google of abusing its market position by being discriminatory in allocating keywords. The competition watchdog had then confirmed of finding “prima facie evidence” the search engine company’s anti-competitive practices.
Source: Times of India
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