EU regulator won’t rule out breaking up Google

The European Union’s antitrust chief has not ruled out breaking up Google over concerns about its dominance.

Margrethe Vestager, the European competition commissioner, told The Telegraph that she’s keeping the option open and has “grave suspicions” as she moves forward with two separate investigations of the company.

“I think it important to keep that question open and on the agenda,” Vestager said.

“We are not there yet but it is important to keep an awakened eye,” she added.

{mosads}Last year, Vestager hit Google with a record $2.9 billion antitrust fine for favoring its own services in search results over those of competitors. The regulator is conducting two other investigations into the company’s mobile platform and advertising services, which are also reportedly expected to yield massive fines.

Vestager has said that Google is using its dominance in search to shut out competitors across industries. She’s also had to fend off accusations that she’s driven by a bias against U.S. tech giants.

“There is no ban on success in Europe,” she told The Telegraph. “You get to be dominant and you get a special responsibility that you don’t destroy the already weakened competition.”

“We have proven their dominance in search and we have found they have misused this dominance to promote themselves and 
diminish competitors,” Vestager added.