Google under pressure from EU Parliament to decouple search engine from other commercial activities

Monday, 24 November 2014 07:13

Google has come under pressure from the European Parliament to separate its search engine from the rest of the company’s activities.

Next week a vote will be held by European politicians over whether the internet giant should split its services, in a move aimed at curbing the company's power.

Although if the vote passed it would be unbinding, it would likely put pressure on the European Commission to take a tougher stance with the company, which it has already been investigating for the last four years, according to reports.

If the EC then applied the parliament's motion Google would be forced to break up its activities in Europe.

“Unbundling cannot be excluded,” Andreas Schwab, a German MEP, told the Financial Times.

MEPs and European politicians are understoof to have also been angered by Google’s allegedly reluctant implementation of the European Court of Justice’s Not to Be Forgotten ruling, according to reports.

Last modified on Monday, 24 November 2014 07:27