FTC May Not Have Enough Evidence To Hit Google With Antitrust Charges

A couple weeks back, we heard the FTC may be close to making a decision on whether or not it wants to take Google to court over claims of anti-competitive behavior. If a new report from Bloomberg is to be believed, however, the FTC may have a problem actually hitting Google with antitrust charges due to a lack of evidence. If that's true, then Google may just be able to get out of this whole thing without ending up in court.

The FTC investigation stems from anti-competitive claims from Google's competitors. According to them, Google pushes its own results higher up in search rankings, while pushing those of its competitors down. The problem there is that consumers may not get the best information in regards to low prices if Google is weighing the search results in its favor. With that potentially being the case, it's easy to see why the FTC would want to investigate such claims.

There are other complaints against Google the FTC is currently looking into, but the search complaint is definitely the big one. According to Bloomberg's sources, Google has been told to "propose a resolution to a host of antitrust concerns in the coming days or face a lawsuit," though without enough evidence for a solid antitrust suit, that may not go anywhere. The FTC is expected to decide on whether or not to take Google to court by the end of the month, which is coming up pretty quickly.

Considering that recent rumors were telling us that the FTC would deliver a decision by the end of the year, it may not be long before we know if Google is being taken to court. If Google is found guilty of anti-competitive behavior, then it could mean bad news for the way the big G displays search results, so don't expect the company to just take these claims lying down. Keep it tuned to SlashGear for more information.