Love affair with Google ends

In the coming months Google will face a series of challenges as its rivals and critics lobby against its enormous dominance on the Internet and its ambitions elsewhere. The first test comes next week over Google's controversial plans to build the world's biggest online library. In Washington, the fracas over books is likely to be just the start, according to Ben Edelman, assistant professor at Harvard Business School. The increased scrutiny of Google means that more far-reaching anti-trust investigations into questions about whether its dealings with advertisers are appropriate are now more likely. Such an investigation would strike at the heart of Google's business. In America its share of the advertising market for search is more than 70%. "That's the crux of the problem. When companies get a market share of more than 70%, they get a little bit arrogant. [Google] is beginning to initiate practices that rightly cause concern," said Edelman.