European Commission to probe Google search

Allegations that Google gives preferences to its own services and advertisers in search rankings will be formally investigated by the European Commission
By Matt Warman, Consumer Technology Editor 11:51AM GMT 30 Nov 2010
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The European Commission is to investigate whether Google has abused its “dominant position in online search”. It will look into whether advertisers and Google’s own services receive preferential treatment in search rankings.
The Commission said “This initiation of proceedings does not imply that the Commission has proof of any infringements. It only signifies that the Commission will conduct an in-depth investigation of the case as a matter of priority.” A detailed timetable has not yet been laid out.
Allegations have been made by price comparison site foundem.co.uk, by Microsoft’s shopping site Ciao from Bing and French legal search engine ejustice.fr, who all suggest that their sites deserve higher rankings in search results.