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Germany: Interior Minister de Maiziere shuts down Google breakup talk

By  |  June 18, 2014

Germany’s Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, a close ally to Chancellor Angela Merkel, has shut down calls for European officials to break up Google to curb the company’s dominance, according to reports.

In an interview, de Maiziere responded to criticism that the EU needs to act more drastically to rein in Google’s dominance. “Europe can’t dismantle Chinese, American, Indian or South American companies,” the politician said, adding that antitrust law will be the only way to preserve competition and protect consumers.

Reports say Google controls more than 90 percent of the industry in several EU nations, including Germany.

De Maiziere’s remarks are in stark contrast to German Economy Minister, who remarked last month that the country “must seriously consider” dismantling “companies like Google” through federal antitrust law.

Full content: Bloomberg

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