Business
India's competition watchdog investigating Google
The Competition Commission of India, along with similar regulators in South Korea and Argentina, has opened investigations into the Internet giant's business practices.
India's fair trade regulator is investigating whether Google abused its dominance of the online advertising market.
In a regulatory filing released last week, Google revealed that its business practices were being investigated by the Competition Commission of India (CCI), as well as similar authorities in Argentina and South Korea.
A Google spokesperson told the Indian Express (IE) it was confident its products complied with India's competition laws.
"We're always happy to answer questions about our business and we're extending our full cooperation to CCI," the spokesperson told IE.
According to Parliament records, the investigation began over six months ago when consumer advocacy group Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS) International complained to the CCI that Google practised anti-competitive behavior.
According to Parliament records, the investigation began over six months ago when consumer advocacy group Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS) International complained to the CCI that Google practised anti-competitive behavior.
In August 2012, the CCI began investigating whether Google contravened section 4 of the Competition Act, 2002.
Complaints from online matchmaker
Last February, online matchmaker Bharat Matrimony filed an antitrust complaint against Google with the CCI. The company, which facilitates marriages between people from the same ethnic group, complained that Google abused its market position by allowing rivals to buy search keywords associated with its Web sites, including TamilMatrimony.com and BengaliMatrimony.com.
Online matchmaker Bharat Matrimony filed an antitrust complaint against Google last February.
Google is already under scrutiny in India over its "mapathon" saga. It is under investigation for breaching local laws with its contest based on its Google Maps service for allegedly exposing locations of sensitive infrastructure and threatening national security.