A bevy of business firms are demanding the European Union take tougher action to finally end Google's alleged abuse of its dominant market position that robs them of more business.
These 135 firms wrote a letter to Margrethe Vestager, calling on her to end Google's relentless practice of favoring its own services in web searches to their detriment. Vestager is the Executive Vice President of the European Commission for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age. The European Commission (EC) is the EU's executive branch.
The letter's signatories include Tripadvisor, Booking.com, Trivago, and other companies, mainly in the travel, accommodation, and recruitment businesses.
The companies contend Google uses its "OneBox" tool to imprison users within its own search service, preventing them from visiting other more relevant products.
Google OneBox is a separate display box within the SERPs (search engine results pages) where results from a search match are compiled. It uses search results from Google's universal search engine.
The complainants also say they're at risk of being "disintermediated" by Google and can't wait for the new regulation on digital services and markets to arrive. These new regulations are due to be presented in early December.
"The undersigning companies urge the Commission to enforce Google's compliance with the Google Search (Shopping) decision and to take all necessary measures to stop the favoring and provision of other Google services within its general search results pages," the group wrote.
The Google Search (Shopping) decision cited in the complaint letter refers to the landmark 2017 ruling from the EC finding Google abused its market power to favor its shopping comparison service, Google Shopping. The EU has so far fined Google a total of over $9.7 billion (8.2 billion Euros) for competition abuses. Google has appealed all these fines.
An EC spokesperson said Vestager's office had received the letter and will reply "in due course." He pointed to the new regulation on digital services and markets due to be presented in early December.
Google rejects all the complaints made in the letter to Vestager. It dismissed claims it gives "preference (to) specific companies or commercial rivals over others."
"People expect Google to give them the most relevant, high-quality search results that they can trust," said a Google spokesperson. This person also said Google provides "helpful services which create more choice and competition for Europeans."
Also to be decided by the EC in December is Google's planned $1.2 billion acquisition of wireless wearable technology company Fitbit, Inc.
The EC, which is investigating the acquisition, expects to complete its investigation by Dec. 9. It said it launched its newest investigation into Google because of concerns Google will "further entrench" its market position in online advertising if it uses Fitbit's data to help personalize advertisements it delivers to users of its platforms.
"Our investigation aims to ensure that control by Google over data collected through wearable devices as a result of the transaction does not distort competition," said Verstager.
