German antitrust body probes Google over data use

Germany's Federal Cartel Office (Bundeskartellamt) said on Tuesday it has initiated proceedings against Google and its parent company Alphabet Inc. based on new regulations for large digital companies, reported Xinhua.

"Due to its established access to data relevant for competition, Google enjoys a strategic advantage," Bundeskartellamt President Andreas Mundt said, adding that customers need to have "sufficient choice as to how Google will use their data."

Before Google and Alphabet Inc. could be prohibited from "engaging in anti-competitive practices," the Bundeskartellamt would first establish whether the companies could be designated as having "paramount significance across markets," according to the German antitrust authority.

On account of Google's many different services -- such as its search engine, YouTube, the Android operating system or Google Maps -- the company could be considered to have reached that level of significance, according to Mundt.

In a second step, Germany's antitrust authority would analyze the companies' handling of users' data, including a possible necessity of consent to data processing in order to use the services.

Google would fully cooperate with the German competition authority, a company spokesperson said, but stressed that people were using Google's services because they were helpful and "not because they are forced to or because they cannot find alternatives."

The entry into force of the German Competition Act in January 2021 has made it possible to "intervene earlier and more effectively" against large digital groups that threaten fair competition, according to the Bundeskartellamt.

Using the new tools provided by the German competition law, the Bundeskartellamt has already initiated proceedings against tech giants such as Facebook and most recently against Amazon.