Google rejects call for tougher scrutiny in Australia
Australia's competition regulator recommends increased scrutiny and a new regulatory body to monitor the dominance of tech giants in online advertising and news
Sydney — Alphabet’s Google has rejected calls by Australia's competition regulator for tougher scrutiny of its operations, denying that it enjoys market power in online searches and advertising, documents published on Monday showed. The global giant was responding to recommendations made late in 2019 by the watchdog, such as increased scrutiny and a new regulatory body to monitor the dominance of tech giants in online advertising and news markets. "The preliminary report bases many of its recommendations on the mistaken premise that Google has market power in search, search advertising, and news media referrals," Google wrote in a statement published by the regulator on February 18. "Google faces fierce competition from other providers, including vertical search sites like Amazon, Expedia, Domain and Carsales.com, many of which users access directly through mobile apps." The regulator had said the enormous market power of firms such as Google, which has a 94% share of web searches i...
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