Google Gets Ready to Man the Barricades

Google has a problem: How can the Internet giant concentrate on crushing the competition when an army of government agencies is investigating whether it’s crushing the competition? Google disclosed on June 24 that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has issued the company a subpoena demanding information about how it does business. The FTC probe will take a broad look at how Google operates, according to several people familiar with the investigation. The agency will likely examine Google’s advertising practices, how it handles search queries, and whether it’s using its dominant position in Internet search and advertising to subdue competitors and jack up ad rates.

The FTC joins a long list of government agencies seeking to unlock the secrets of the Googleplex. In September, Google disclosed that the state of Texas had begun examining whether its search results favor some businesses over others. Two months later the European Union launched an investigation after competitors alleged they were getting pushed down on Google’s search pages. New York and California are also in the early stages of antitrust investigations into Google’s operations, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.