EC threatens anti-trust proceedings against Google over search dominance

The European Commission (EC) has threatened to start anti-trust proceedings against internet search giant Google for allegedly promoting its own business by abusing its dominant position in search to push its other products, and thereby blocking rival advertisers.

EC, the regulatory arm of the European Union, on Monday asked Google to propose changes to its method of answering user queries in ''a matter of weeks'', or possibly face an antitrust lawsuit.

In a letter written to Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt, EC's anti-trust commissioner Joaquín Almunia has warned Google to fix ''four concerns where Google business practices may be considered as abuses of dominance.''

Almunia is also reported to have spoken to Schmidt over the phone, seeking a response within weeks to avoid charges.

Consumers now search for everything on the internet, be it hotels and restaurants, airlines, education, doctors or other local services and the way the search proceeds also leads to consumer decisions.

While Google has so far been claiming that its search results are neutral, EC now feels that Google is using search to its own business advantage at the cost of others.