The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has submitted its report on the alleged unethical practices Google has been following when delivering search results. The authority is now waiting for a response from the entities involved.
CCI Chairman Ashok Chawla clarified that the submitted document is only the beginning of the case. According to procedure, probes requiring in-depth information are first handed over to the chief of the body’s investigative arm, called the Director General (DG). The report that has been drawn up on Google contains extensive comments and suggestions from a range of players involved in the online space.
The list of companies who submitted their inputs hasn’t been made public, but apparently includes some established e-commerce sites and web portals. As per PTI, some entities have sided with Google, while the others accuse the search engine of trying to promote its own agenda. The document will now be sent out to parties involved in both sides of the case, allowing them to give their opinions on the issue.
The CCI is not obliged to follow the DG’s report’s suggestions. The final decision will be taken by the 7 members of its panel. The authority has been investigating Google for more than 3 years now, having received its first complaint against the tech giant back in 2011. Organizations like Bharat Matrimony and Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS) were among the initial complainants.
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If found guilty of abusing its position as the predominant search engine in India, Google could either face a fine of up to 10 percent of its revenues or will be made to stop its unethical practices. The US-based company recently demanded access to some documents held back by the DG, claiming it needed to see them in order to prepare a thorough response.