Berlin pushes Google to reveal search engine formula

Berlin is calling on Google to disclose details of the secret formula that has allowed it to monopolize web search in Europe, in a move that is likely to be welcomed by competitors and fiercely resisted by the US tech company.

Germany’s justice minister Heiko Maas said Google had to become more “transparent” about the algorithm used to create search engine rankings. Robert Kimmitt, a former US ambassador to Germany, criticized the demand. European companies and countries, in particular an export-driven economy like Germany “that needs open markets for its innovative products and services, should be concerned about calls for appropriation of intellectual property,” he said.