The European Union accused Google Wednesday of violating several of its antitrust laws regarding how the search giant deals with competition.
These charges come in the form of a "statement of objections" that focuses on what the E.U. considers an abuse of power in web searches, specifically Google directing traffic from competitors to its own products and services, according to The New York Times.
The move comes at a time when the commission is also investigating Google about whether phone and tablet makers using the Android system are contractually obligated to put YouTube and Google's other applications in significant spots on such devices.
E.U. Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager spoke about the new charges in Brussells on Wednesday, saying European regulators are worried that Google has given its comparison shopping service an "unfair advantage" over rivals, The Washington Post reported. She added that the E.U. wants to preserve innovation and to make sure consumers have "as wide a choice as possible" in the European market.
"Dominance as such is not a problem," Vestager said. "However dominant companies have a responsibility not to abuse their powerful market position."
Google may have to pay fines totaling $6 billion if it is found to be violating European rules. The company may also have to change the way it conducts business in other countries.
Google spoke against these charges in a blog post on Wednesday, saying that its search engine may be used more than others, but "people can now find and access information in numerous different ways - and allegations of harm, for consumers and competitors, have proved to be wide off the mark," The New York Times reported.
The company also addressed the investigation regarding its Android partners in a different blog post, saying that phone and tablet makers using the operating system do so voluntarily, and that both consumers and manufacturers benefit from these partnerships.
Microsoft, Yelp and other companies have already accused Google of using its position in the market to push its products, The Washington Post reported. The tech giant's search engine is used by 90 percent of the population in some European countries and is currently used by 67 percent of Americans.
The E.U.'s statement of objections also comes at a time when U.S. tech companies face a great deal of scrutiny in Europe, with news about these companies' extent of data collection pushing Europe's highest court to force Google and other firms last year to delete links to embarrassing information from search engines. The relationship between Europe and these companies didn't improve with the leak of documents from former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden and reports of U.S. spies monitoring European allies.
Analysts believe it could take at least another year for there to be a formal finding against Google. The company will have 10 weeks to respond to the accusations.
