Google abuses its position

The FTC is looking at whether Google manipulates its search results to steer users to its own sites US federal regulators are preparing to issue court orders to Google and other companies as part of a probe into practices in Google's search engine business, US media report.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is expected to open a formal inquiry within the next several days, the Wall Street Journal said. The FTC is looking at whether Google manipulates its search results to steer users to its own sites and services. Google has not commented on the matter, the sources report.

The Financial Times said that attorneys-general in California, New York and Ohio have also launched antitrust investigations into Google.

In a statement on its website, FairSearch.org, an organization that represents several of Google's critics, like Expedia, Travelocity, Kayak and Microsoft, said: "Google's practices are deserving of full-scale investigations by US antitrust authorities." Though the FTC probe would be the broadest federal inquiry into Google to date, the company has previously been targeted by US regulators.