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US justice department ‘preparing competition probe over Google’

The search giant was fined more than £2.15 billion by European regulators in 2017.
The search giant was fined more than £2.15 billion by European regulators in 2017. The search giant was fined more than £2.15 billion by European regulators in 2017.

The US justice department is readying an investigation of Google’s business practices and whether they violate competition law, according to reports.

The search giant was fined a record 2.72 billion dollars (£2.15 billion) by European regulators in 2017 for abusing its dominance of the online search market.

Google
Google Reports claimed an antitrust inquiry is being prepared in the US (Jonathan Brady/PA)

In the US, the federal trade commission carried out an antitrust investigation of Google, but closed it in 2013 without taking action.

Now, the American justice department has undertaken a probe of the company, according to reports by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and Bloomberg News.