Google and parent company Alphabet face Italian antitrust investigation over unfair trade practices

The Italian competition authority has opened an investigation into Google and its parent company Alphabet Inc., accusing them of unfair commercial practices and incomplete information provided to users of its services.

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The investigation is focusing on the quality of information provided to users when they link to their services, the competition authority said in an emailed statement. It added that users are unclear what impact their consent will have and how their personal data is used.

According to the regulator, Google’s consent request “may constitute a misleading and aggressive commercial practice”, which is apparently accompanied by incomplete information that could influence the decision on whether and to what extent consent should be given.

Google “will investigate the matter and cooperate with authorities,” the company said in a written statement.

The investigation comes amid increasing scrutiny by European regulators over the practices of big technology companies, including how they use personal data and potential abuse of dominant market positions.