Europe’s antitrust regulator plans to file charges against Google, based on complaints that its search engine favors its own services over those of rivals. Rutgers' Michael Carrier discusses. Photo: Getty 
 
 The European Commission took direct aim at Google Inc. Wednesday, charging the Internet-search giant with skewing results to favor its comparison-shopping service. But the formal complaint may only be the opening salvo in a broader assault that prompts big changes at Google. 
 
 European antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said she continues to examine other domains, such as travel and local services, where Google is accused of favoring... ||||| On Wednesday, the European Union is expected to drop the hammer on Google, charging the company with violating antitrust rules with its search dominance. It’s the tail end of a five-year investigation from the EU’s competition commission, and a prolonged regulatory headache for the search giant. It could be costly too: The EU is reportedly plotting a fine as large as $6.4 billion, roughly a tenth of Google’s annual revenue. The Financial Times first reported the news. 
 
 And Google is prepping a response. Re/code obtained an internal memo discussing the impending charges. Google calls the EU’s decision “very disappointing news.” To make its case, the memo includes a trio of charts, from comScore and Google internal data, showing shopping site searches in Germany, France and the United Kingdom, along with a travel search in Germany. Searches on Amazon and eBay far exceed those on Google Shopping (perhaps not helping Google’s creeping concern over Amazon’s emergence in search). Google’s missive also mentions that it is expecting the E.U. Commission for Competition to also open up an investigation into Android on Wednesday. “We have a very strong case,” the memo concludes. 
 
 Here’s the memo that went out: 
 
 Googlers — 
 
 As the Financial Times has just reported, the European Commission will tomorrow issue a Statement of Objections (SO) regarding the display and ranking of certain search results, in particular shopping. This is obviously very disappointing news, especially for the search team that has worked so hard to create a great experience for our users over the last 16 years. 
 
 First, a few facts about the SO process. An SO is not a final finding. It’s a document in which the Commission staff sets out its preliminary arguments so that the company in question can respond. Expect some of the criticism to be tough. But remember, it’s also an opportunity for Google to tell our side of the story. The back-and-forth over an SO can take some time (even a year or two), and in a number of cases has resulted in the Commission modifying their claims or settling the case. If the two sides cannot settle their differences, the Commission issues an infringement decision, which can be appealed in court. 
 
 We have a very strong case, with especially good arguments when it comes to better services for users and increased competition: 
 
 Better services for users: Google Search has improved tremendously since the days of ten blue links. We can now answer many queries directly, saving users huge amounts of time and effort–whether it’s the weather, directions to the local pharmacy, flights, or where to get the cheapest camera. 
 
 Increased competition: 
 
 The competition is just one click away — and it’s growing. People can use Bing, Yahoo, Quora, DuckDuckGo, and a new wave of search assistants like Apple’s Siri and Microsoft’s Cortana, as well as more specialized services like Amazon, Idealo, Le Guide, Expedia, or eBay. In addition, users increasingly turn to social networks like Facebook and Twitter to find news and suggestions — where to eat or which movies to watch. 
 
 Mobile is changing everything — with the explosion of apps taking people directly to the information they want. Today 7 out of every 8 minutes on mobile devices is spent within apps. Yelp, for example, has said that over 40% of its traffic comes direct from its mobile app. 
 
 Competition online is thriving — despite what many of the complainants in this case allege. Indeed if you look at shopping, it’s clear that there’s a ton of competition (including from Amazon and eBay) that has not been harmed by Google’s own shopping service. Just look at the following graphs compiled using comScore data: 
 
 Shopping Sites in Germany (unique visitors, ‘000s) 
 
 
 
 Shopping Sites in France (unique visitors, ‘000s) 
 
 
 
 Shopping Sites in the UK (unique visitors, ‘000s) 
 
 
 
 It is the same story with travel–another very competitive vertical: 
 
 Travel sites in Germany 
 
 
 
 Source: ComScore MMX and Google data (for Google), desktop traffic, unique visitors (‘000s) 
 
 We believe that the Commission will also open a formal investigation into Android tomorrow. This is just the start of a process and does not mean the EC will necessarily take action (for example they opened and closed an inquiry into iTunes a few years ago). We have a very strong case on Android as well: 
 
 Android has lowered prices and increased choice for consumers (there are over 18,000 different devices available today); 
 
 It’s an open-source operating system that can be used free-of-charge by anyone; 
 
 We paid out over $7 billion in revenue over the past year to developers and content publishers; 
 
 Consumers decide which apps they use and download on Android devices. Apps that compete directly with Google such as Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft Office, and Expedia are easily available to Android users; and 
 
 Many of these apps come pre-loaded onto Android devices. Google apps, like Search, Maps, Gmail, and Google Play, are also available out of the box on many handsets. The recent Samsung S6 is a great example of this — there are pre-installed Facebook, Microsoft, and Google apps. 
 
 All told, consumers have a lot of choice — and they are exercising it. And many, many other companies have very successful mobile businesses — including Apple, the most valuable (mobile) company in the world. 
 
 Finally, we know the upcoming announcements will be distracting. But you can help in two ways. First, by not commenting on pending legal issues, internally or externally. And second, by focusing on what you all do best … building great products that serve our users and customers.
– As expected, the EU today made it official: It is going after Google, which was today hit with the first formal antitrust charges it's ever faced, the Wall Street Journal reports. EU regulators also opened a probe into its Android mobile system. Regulators allege that since 2008, Google has steered Internet users away from competitors and toward its own "comparison shopping service," says EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager. What's at stake: a whole lot of time and money. The AP reports "years of legal wrangling" could follow, though the Journal reports a final EU decision could come as soon as late 2015, after Google has had the opportunity to respond to the "statement of objections." The EU can impose fines equal to 10% of annual revenue—that's $6 billion in Google's case. The AP reports that 90% of Internet searches in the EU are done via Google; the US figure is 70%. Vestager says that 25% of the companies who have complained about Google's practices are US rivals. An internal Google memo obtained by Re/code had the company yesterday reassuring its workers that "we have a very strong case"; it includes charts related to shopping search data that appear to make that case. But Quartz yesterday pointed to data that indicates no company "has ever been cleared after a statement of objections has been issued." As for the separate antitrust probe into Android, Vestager says the EU plans to investigate whether Google relies on anti-competitive deals and abuses its dominant position in Europe's mobile market.