Google is back under the scrutiny of the US Government for antitrust as officials think that the company might be stifling competitor’s access to the Android operating system with their own apps.
The probe is in its initial stages as stated by Bloomberg thanks to their unnamed sources, who went on the record to say, “FTC officials have met with technology company representatives who say Google gives priority to its own services on the Android platform, while restricting others.”
The whole thing is a bit farfetched and may not even result in a case according to some tech experts as Android is after all an open source operating system. Sure Google does ask OEMs who opt to use their product to include their apps in exchange for access to key features and security updates but that in no way means that the tech giant is forcing its product down their throats.
On the other hand, there is a branch of tech analysts who do believe that the FTC has a solid ground for their case and should definitely proceed further with their investigation. Till now, both FTC and Google have declined to comment on the matter.
The tech giant is no stranger to scrutiny from the Department of Justice and FTC and has faced investigations on antitrust charges before. Most recent of which was when Google tangled with the FTC over their web search allegations.
