(MENAFN) Germany's competition agency launched an investigation against Google and its parent firm Alphabet on Tuesday to look into suspected anti-competitive actions by Google Maps against other map service providers.
The Federal Cartel Office (FCO) investigation into Google Maps is being conducted under stricter anti-abuse regulations that have been in effect for Google's operations in Germany since January of this year.
Andreas Mundt, President of the FCO said in a statement, "We have information to suggest that Google may be restricting the combination of its own map services with third-party map services, for example when it comes to embedding Google Maps location data, the search function or Google Street View into maps not provided by Google."
"We will now examine whether this practice could allow Google to further expand its position of power regarding certain map services," Mundt highlighted.
The authority can now prevent firms of essential importance for market competition from participating in anti-competitive actions under the new stricter legislation.
"We will also look into the licensing terms and conditions for the use of Google's map services in vehicles. We are also conducting or have already concluded further proceedings against Google and other large digital companies like Apple, Amazon and Meta/Facebook," the FCO added.
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