EU: Why Google rivals shouldn’t rejoice over Parliament vote

Rivals of Internet giant Google shouldn’t be too quick to celebrate the European Parliament’s vote last week to call for a breakup of the company. As EU politicians step up pressure against Google, reports say a widespread crackdown on all tech giants is looming over the industry.

A joint letter by France and Germany was sent to the Commission last Thursday, say reports, calling for a reform of antitrust law to more adequately reign in the dominance of tech companies.

”We need a review of our antitrust law because the classical antitrust law is no longer adequate for what is taking place in society by virtue of digitalization,” Germany’s deputy economy minister Mathias Machnig said during a press conference in Brussels.

Germany and France’s letter was sent the same day EU Parliament voted to call on the Commission to unbundle tech giants’ search services from the rest of their operations. While the motion did not name Google specifically, it is widely considered a push to crack down on Google as the Commission continues its four-year investigation into the company’s market dominance and alleged anticompetitive conduct.

MEPs overwhelmingly voted in favor of the motion.

The vote not only highlights the urgency lawmakers may feel to limit Google’s market dominance, but also the mounting pressure faced by all technology conglomerates.

Full content: Fortune

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