Brussels finally takes on Google in an open fight

Among the messiest dockets inherited by Margrethe Vestager, the new EU competition commissioner, is the one involving Google. The commission has been poking around in the electronic synapses of the US search engine giant since 2010, trying to determine whether it abuses its near 90 per cent share of web search in European markets to squeeze out rivals unfairly.

Attempts to settle the contentious case have come and gone without satisfactory result. Last year, Ms Vestager's predecessor, Joaquin Almunia appeared to have struck a deal only to abandon it and bizarrely then reopen the investigation, apparently at the behest of Google's commercial rivals.

How Ms Vestager fares with the troubled file remains to be seen. But she is to be commended for doing what Mr Almunia did not. Finally, after half a decade of shadow boxing, she has tabled formal charges against the company. These centre on allegations that users searching for specific products online are steered to Google's in-house results rather than to rival shopping sites. There is also a case against the company's Android mobile platform. Google must now respond formally to the commission's claims.

Taking the fight to court may seem a bold course for Ms Vestager to take, given the investigation's troubled history. Nonetheless there are several reasons to welcome what she has done.

First, the move brings transparency to a probe that has been plagued by suggestions of political interference and lobbying by French and German ministers, as well as Google's online rivals. At a time when Europe is in the throes of a backlash against large US technology companies, the commission must ensure that its reputation for impartiality remains intact.

Second, Ms Vestager is right to press on because there remain sound reasons to look closely at Google's activities in search. A US investigation by the Federal Trade Commission two years ago found evidence that Google tested ways to "demote" some comparison shopping sites in its search rankings. While the company claimed its purpose was to improve customer experience by widening the range of results, this can only raise legitimate questions about the role it plays.

Such things matter because of the way the digital economy creates winner-takes-all positions. Google's share of the search market is so great that it can appear to be the gatekeeper of the internet. Control of the all-important search algorithms gives it the opportunity to drive users towards services that it favours, while exploiting its own stable of businesses such as YouTube and the Google Play app store.

It is far from clear how the case will play out. The FTC's investigation two years ago ended without the regulator taking any action. Google can legitimately argue that there are plenty of search-engines available to users, including Microsoft's Bing, Yahoo, Quora and DuckDuckGo. No one is forced to consume its services. If the charge is that it is stifling innovation, it is not obviously doing a brilliant job.

Nor is there evidence that Google's own shopping services enjoy dominant positions in the markets they serve. For instance, in most European countries they are dwarfed by a host of other services, notably Amazon and eBay.

It would be wrong for Google to be hamstrung by regulators merely because its services are superior to those offered by rivals. But the commission is right to watch it with care. What is now needed is a clear process to bring this important investigation to a decisive conclusion. If Ms Vestager can deliver one, she will deserve whatever plaudits she receives.

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