Google ‘Very Confident’ of Passing European Competition Law Probe

by Lucy Griffiths on 8th July 2010

Google has stated that it is "very confident" an investigation into its activities will reveal that it is acting within European competition law.

The search engine giant has faced complaints from three rival firms that it has unfairly demoted them in its results rankings and Joaquin Almunia, EU competition commissioner, has explained he is looking into the allegations "very carefully", reports the Financial Times.

A statement from Google said: "We’re working with the commissioner and his team to answer their questions, including how Google’s search ranking works to produce the most relevant and useful search results."

Officials are still gathering data for the probe and Mr Almunia said it has not yet been decided whether a formal investigation into the matter will be held.

Earlier this week, Matt Brittin, UK managing director for Google, told the Scotsman that the company is attempting to get 100,000 more British businesses to go online – a move that may increase demand for professional SEO services.