Google may not skate in antitrust probe after all

Just two months ago, Google looked poised to skate free in the European Union’s antitrust probe into whether the search giant was unfairly favoring its own sites and services in its search results. The Wall Street Journal reports, however, that EU officials may scrap their proposed settlement with Google after rival tech companies and consumer groups blasted the deal for not going nearly far enough to restrict Google’s powers to unfairly hurt its competitors. If the EU’s antitrust officials can’t come up with a settlement that finds favor with both Google and its rivals then it could issue a formal complaint that the Journal says would end up “unleashing a legal process that could culminate in large fines for the U.S.-based company.”