Stefan Mileschin

Its got form

EU antitrust regulators are investigating Google’s collection of data, the European Commission suggesting the world’s most popular internet search engine remains in its sights despite record fines in recent years.

The EU executive said it was seeking information on how and why Alphabet unit Google is collecting data.

“The Commission has sent out questionnaires as part of a preliminary investigation into Google’s practices relating to Google’s collection and use of data. The preliminary investigation is ongoing”, the EU regulator told Reuters in an email.

The EU’s focus is on data related to local search services, online advertising, online ad targeting services, login services, web browsers and others.

Companies were asked about agreements providing data to Google or allowing it to collect data via their services in recent years, and whether they were compensated.

Regulators also wanted to know the kind of data sought by Google, how it uses it and how valuable the companies consider such data. Another question asked whether Google and the companies were subjected to contractual terms that prohibit or limit the use of the data.

European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager has handed down fines totalling more than eight billion euro to Google in the last two years and ordered it to change its business practices.

Google has said it uses data to better its services and that users can manage, delete and transfer their data at any time.

https://fudzilla.com/news/49890-eu-a...stigate-google