Blumenthal Calls on FTC to Provide Exacting and Ongoing Oversight of Google Following Record Fines by European Regulators for Antitrust Violations

[WASHINGTON, DC] – Today, European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager announced a €2.42 billion fine against Google for abusing its position as the world’s dominant search engine by pushing smaller rivals’ results down in search rankings and manipulating results to promote its own services.

“This significant action by European regulators is the latest in a powerful collection of evidence suggesting Google has repeatedly and consistently abused international competition law,” said Blumenthal. “Here in the United States, the FTC must confront the mounting evidence that Google is manipulating search results in anticompetitive ways and possibly running afoul of our antitrust laws. The FTC has a duty to investigate and discipline Google for any illegal actions that may have unfairly disadvantaged competitors and limited consumer choice. Our economy – particularly when it comes to the rapidly growing tech sector – needs robust competition to thrive and to ensure consumer protection.”

As a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Blumenthal has been vocal in promoting antitrust measures, including supporting the reopening of a 2013 FTC probe into Google’s anti-competition abuses.