News Corp. publicly blasts Google, asks EU to reconsider antitrust settlement

News Corp. recently issued a letter to the European Union blasting Google’s search and advertising practices. The correspondence also requested that the EU enforce stricter policies against the software company. News Corp. chief executive Robert Thomson wrote that Google was “willing to exploit its dominant market position to stifle competition.”

For nearly four years Google has been under investigation by the European Commission, based on complaints from several prominent publishers claiming that the search giant has too much of an influence on how information is displayed on the internet. In addition to angry publications, Microsoft has asked European antitrust regulators to reconsider a proposed settlement with Google that would help the company avoid up to $5 billion in fines. If accepted, the reigning internet search champion would be obligated to improve the way it handles competitor links.

After receiving negative feedback from Google’s rivals, the European Commission ruled that the company would have to make additional concessions to resolve the ongoing case. Throughout this multi-year probe, News Corp. had pretty much remained quiet, however Thomson’s letter went on to accuse Google of manipulating web searches for its own benefit.

We’ve contacted Google for comment and will update this article if any new information becomes available.

(via The New York Times)