US commission investigating Android on suspicion of unfair competition – Look Straight

(Reuters) – The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating whether Google is using Android operating system to restrict competition, said one familiar with the matter source said on Friday.

The Android mobile platform is a key element in Google’s strategy to maintain online advertising revenue, to the extent that people stop using search browsers on the network in favor of applications for smartphones, and the investigation of regulators US can be a major problem for the company.

Reuters published in April that some technology companies complained to the US Department of Justice on anti-competitive practices promoted by Google and called for investigation into the allegations that the company uses the Android unfairly for online advertising contracts.

The new research FTC wants to determine if Google is saying to the phone makers which applications need to display on their devices and how and where they will be shown, the source said.

She said the case is still in the early stages. Google and FTC representatives could not be reached for comment.