Vestager: Google Withdrawal Threats Could Result In Antitrust Backlash

European Union Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager warned of potential antitrust action against Google or other US technology giants if they threaten to pull out of markets, reported Seeking Alpha.

Vestager told the European Parliament’s economy committee on Tuesday, February 23, that there could be scope for “investigating if it’s actually legal for a dominant provider to stop supplying” services, adding that the EU “would have a number of tools to use.”

Her comments follow controversy in Australia, where Google and Facebook have been lobbying against a proposed law to require the search and social media companies to pay publishers for the value stories generate on their digital platforms

Google initially threatened to shut its search engine in the country before striking a deal with News Corp. Facebook had restricted news sharing on its site, but ended its blackout earlier Tuesday after the government agreed to amend the legislation.