Good to see more regulatory scrutiny:
India’s antitrust regulator has launched a probe against Google Inc over alleged anti-competitive practices by the U.S. Internet search giant, following a complaint by a consumer advocacy group, a federal minister said on Monday.
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has received information about contravention of an Indian competition rule by Google, R.P.N. Singh, minister of state for corporate affairs, told lawmakers in a written reply to a question, according to a government statement.
Google has already been subjected to antitrust probes in the United States and Europe.
The Monster of Mountain View has historically been dealt with very leniently by the United States federal government. European regulators have taken a much harder line with the company, especially when user privacy has been threatened. Google has also reportedly caught the attention of authorities in Argentina and Korea.
Since its launch more than a decade ago, Google has morphed into a very successful commercial version of the National Security Agency (NSA). The only reason it is viewed more favorably than the NSA is because it has a more benevolent (though undeserved) reputation. It’s time for people to realize that trusting Google with the details of their lives is a bad idea.