Consumer Watchdog urges EU to block Google's Motorola deal

Consumer Watchdog, an independent consumer rights organization that has worked with Microsoft, has written to the European Commission asking it to block Google's deal to acquire Motorola and to launch an investigation into the Internet giant's alleged anticompetitive behavior.

The commission is expected to approve Google's takeover of Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion by mid-February, after requesting and receiving additional information from Google. Consumer Watchdog believes this would be bad for consumers on both sides of the Atlantic.

“Google's Android smartphone operating system dominates the mobile market with a 38 percent share and is growing," said John M. Simpson, Consumer Watchdog's privacy project director, in a letter to European Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia. "Google controls 95 percent of the mobile search market. There is evidence it is pressuring handset manufacturers to favor Google applications when using the Android operating system," Simpson added. "Allowing the Motorola Mobility deal would provide Google with unprecedented dominance in virtually all aspects of the mobile world -- manufacturing, operating systems, search and advertising. It would be a virtually unstoppable juggernaut."