The Competition Versus Google

[Commentary] Who most deserves the benefits of a competitive marketplace? If the first answer that pops into your head is "the consumer," well, right. Which is all the more reason to look carefully at the latest assault on consumers in the name of "competition."

The European Commission this week announced its preliminary conclusions in its antitrust investigation into Google, accusing the company of abusing its dominance in four key areas. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has also been teeing up its own case against Google, probably along similar lines. All of which is starting to look a lot like an antitrust movie we've seen before, in which the interests of consumers are subordinated to those of Google's competitors. The one potential bright spot is that the European Commission, after its Microsoft experience, seems keen to avoid another prolonged punch-up. In making his concerns public before any formal proceedings have opened, Almunia may be hoping to extract concessions from Google without going to the trouble of assembling a proper legal case. On the other hand, tying down Google's search functions in a bid to satisfy Brussels won't necessarily improve the user experience. Search has come a long way in the past decade, but it's still often frustrating and tedious. That suggests there's plenty of room for improvement and competition. Making Google less useful to make competitors happy won't make surfing the Web any better for consumers.