Alphabet's Google Draws Swiss Antitrust Scrutiny Over Search Engine Choice Screen Removal
Alphabet's (GOOG, GOOGL) Google is facing a preliminary antitrust investigation regarding the removal of its choice screen feature on Android mobile devices in Switzerland, the Swiss Secretariat of the Competition Commission said Tuesday. The missing option forces the tech company's own search engine as the default setting on Swiss users' devices during initial setup, even though the option is still active throughout the European Economic Area, the regulatory body said. The option not being present could restrict the market visibility of rival search engines and give Google's search engine an advantage, it added. A Google spokesperson told that the company is aware of the investigation and plans on "cooperating fully with the authority" to address the problem.
Alphabet's (GOOG, GOOGL) Google is facing a preliminary antitrust investigation regarding the removal of its choice screen feature on Android mobile devices in Switzerland, the Swiss Secretariat of the Competition Commission said Tuesday.
The missing option forces the tech company's own search engine as the default setting on Swiss users' devices during initial setup, even though the option is still active throughout the European Economic Area, the regulatory body said.
The option not being present could restrict the market visibility of rival search engines and give Google's search engine an advantage, it added.
A Google spokesperson told that the company is aware of the investigation and plans on "cooperating fully with the authority" to address the problem.