Italy opens new competition-related probe into Google

ROME, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Italian antitrust officials opened a new probe into the activities of Internet search giant Google, the second of its kind in less than two months.

Italy's Autorita Garante Della Concorrenza e del Mercato -- the country's competition regulator -- announced Wednesday it was looking into alleged abuses of Google's dominant position in the country's online display advertising market.

The authority said it would look into whether the company's "discriminatory use of the large amount of data collected through its various services prevented rivals from competing effectively."

In early September, the authority opened an investigation into Google and two other companies over their use of "improper commercial practices" regarding cloud computing.

Last year the authority said it would look into whether Google was acting unfairly in blocking access to other companies to promote electric car services.

Both of the previous cases are still ongoing.

In its statement about the latest case, the authority said Italy's online advertising market last year was worth more than 3.3 billion euros (3.9 billion U.S. dollars), equivalent to around 22 percent of all media sector resources.

Online display advertising, a sector directly and indirectly dominated by Google services, was worth 1.2 billion euros, the regulator said, more than a third of the entire online advertising market.

The announcement of the investigation came a day after antitrust officials and Italy's tax police conducted on-site inspections of Google's offices. (1 euro = 1.17 U.S. dollars)