EU engaged in antitrust gerrymandering against Google

Posted by The Hill

EU engaged in antitrust gerrymandering against Google

By Nicolas Petit 

With its US$5 billion fine against Google, the European Commission (EC) just applied to the search giant an old US political trick: gerrymandering; the idea that if antitrust watchdogs draw markets narrowly enough, every company can be made to look like an evil monopolist.

Evidence of competition among Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google (FAANG) is all over the place. Three weeks ago, Facebook launched Instagram TV, throwing the gauntlet at Google on online ads.

But to an antitrust hammer, everything looks like a nail, and in Brussels, antitrust officials see a Google monopoly everywhere they look. Recently, the EC declared Google dominant on the Android operating system for mobile phones. Just about a year ago, it found Google dominant in general internet search services.

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