Google Under Fire Over Monopoly Concerns: Full List of Countries Taking Action Against Tech Giant

New Delhi: In a significant blow to Sundar Pichai’s Google, a federal judge in Alexandria, Virginia, ruled on Thursday that the tech giant unlawfully monopolized two major markets in the online advertising technology space. The ruling, delivered by U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema, found that Google had used its dominant position to control the markets for publisher ad servers and ad exchanges. 

Google Faces Scrutiny Worldwide: A Growing List of Countries Taking Action

Google's legal troubles are not confined to the United States. The company has faced various regulatory challenges globally, with several countries taking action against its business practices in recent years. Here's a list of countries that have taken action against Google:

1. European Union (EU): The EU has been one of the most aggressive regulators, taking action against Google multiple times. Notably, the European Commission slapped Google with a hefty €4.34 billion fine in 2018 for using Android to unfairly promote its own apps. The EU also fined Google €2.42 billion in 2017 for manipulating search results to promote its own shopping services over competitors.

2. India: India’s antitrust regulator, the Competition Commission of India (CCI), has investigated Google for anti-competitive practices in the digital advertising market, alleging that the company abused its dominance in the search engine market. 

3. Australia: Australia’s competition watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), has taken action against Google for alleged deceptive conduct concerning the collection of data. 

4. United Kingdom: The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has looked into Google’s dominance in the digital advertising and search engine market. In 2021, the CMA ordered Google to make changes to how it manages its online advertising technology. 

5. Brazil: Brazil's antitrust watchdog, Cade, has conducted investigations into Google’s advertising practices, particularly focusing on the dominance of Google’s ad exchange platform. 

6. South Korea: South Korea has also investigated Google over its monopolistic practices, particularly related to its control over the Android ecosystem and its app store policies. In 2021, South Korea passed a landmark law aimed at curbing Google’s dominance in the mobile app market.

7. Russia: Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) has targeted Google for various anti-competitive practices, including allegedly preventing competitors from using its platforms to advertise. The Russian regulator has previously fined Google for abusing its market position.

8. Turkey: Turkey's competition authority has investigated Google for anti-competitive behavior, particularly focusing on its digital advertising practices and dominance in the search engine market. The country has also imposed fines on Google for unfair practices in the mobile and search engine sectors.

9. Mexico: Mexico’s Federal Economic Competition Commission (COFECE) has probed Google for potentially abusing its dominance in digital advertising and search engines. 

10. Canada: Canada has also conducted investigations into Google’s practices, especially concerning the advertising market and the search engine’s role in limiting competition. Canada’s Competition Bureau has raised concerns about how Google’s dominance in digital advertising affects businesses and consumers.

With ongoing antitrust cases in the U.S., Europe, and beyond, Google’s ability to maintain its dominance in digital advertising may come under further threat.