Italy’s antitrust watchdog has launched an investigation into Google and Alphabet over concerns that the tech giant is engaging in deceptive trade practices.
The Italian competition authority – also known as the AGCM – said it was investigating the consent request that Google sends to customers as part of the ‘linking’ of its services. The watchdog claims that this request does not appear to provide users with relevant information about the impact of this consent on the personal data they share with Google – or that it provides this information “insufficiently and imprecisely”.
The AGCM also claims that Google may be using certain techniques to obtain consent from users that interfere with their freedom of choice. In a statement, the watchdog claims that consumers may make a commercial decision they would not otherwise have made by consenting to the ‘combination and cross-use’ of personal data between Google’s different services.
We will analyse the details of this case and cooperate with the authority,’ a Google spokesperson said in a statement to Reuters.
The AGCM has cracked down on Google several times in recent years.
In 2021, the watchdog fined both Google and Apple €10 million when it found that the companies had failed to provide users with sufficiently clear information about the commercial use of their data. Earlier that year, AGCM fined Google more than €100 million for not allowing an app from Enel X on its Android Auto platform. The authority said Google had abused its dominant position.
The antitrust authority was also responsible for fining Amazon a massive €1.13 billion in 2021 for abusing its market dominance by offering incentives to sellers who used its logistics service.
Google has faced various fines and antitrust charges in recent years, including a major lawsuit in the US that could have significant consequences for the company, depending on the outcome. The US Department of Justice accused Google of trying to maintain a monopoly in search and online advertising. The judge in the case heard final arguments from both the department and Google in May, and it is expected to take several months to reach a final decision, according to AP.
Despite the government’s disagreement with Google, the tech giant plans to buy cybersecurity company Wiz for $23 billion in what would be its largest acquisition ever.
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