Google is facing a major legal headache as European regulators are, reportedly, preparing formal antitrust charges against the search giant.
According to a report on SearchEngineLand.com, commissioners who were once keen on settling with Google without charges, are now leaning towards more serious actions.
Google executives are, no doubt, sweating the possibility of facing antitrust actions on the European continent, where commissioners have much more power than their American counterparts.
There’s still time for Google to negotiate a settlement of some kind, and they’ve got every incentive to come up with something. Should the process fall apart, EU regulators could fine the company as much as 10% of their gross revenues.
Bad News in the UK, too
Google’s troubles across the Atlantic are not limited to the European continent. In the United Kingdom, consumers were just granted the opportunity to sue the search giant in court over allegations that it ignored, or should have known, that Safari browsers were illegally tracking user data.
For its part, Google claims to have had no knowledge of the Safari breach and denies any claims that it used the illegal data in any way. Nonetheless, the company could be facing a major legal headache if consumers decide to pile on the lawsuit.
UK-based consumer advocates hailed the court’s decision, calling it a, “David and Goliath,” style victory.
Adding insult to injury, the court also piled on Google, claiming that the company’s claim of more than £1.2 million ($1.79 million USD) was excessive.
Suffice to say, Google’s legal department is going to have its hands full with cases that originated across the pond.