Google adwords face Government... Finally they have to be knock down from their high mountain .. Google Inc.'s lucrative online advertising system is facing a U.S. Justice Department investigation that is expected to cost the Internet search leader at least $500 million. The disclosure made by Google on Tuesday in a quarterly report to the Securities and Exchange Commission serves as the latest reminder of the intensifying regulatory scrutiny facing the Internet's most powerful company. European regulators have opened a wide-ranging probe into whether Google unfairly manipulates its search results to favor its own services and rigs its ad system to drive up prices. The Texas attorney general also has been looking into complaints about whether Google's search recommendations stifle competition. The SEC documents filed Tuesday provided few details about the nature of the Justice Department's inquiry except that it involves how Google's automated system has been treating some unnamed advertisers. Google's ad network, which primarily delivers short text ads alongside search results and other Web content, is the main way the company makes money. In the first three months of this year alone, Google sold $8.3 billion in advertising. http://apnews.excite.com/article/201...D9N57JL80.html
Google is always being sued for basically the same things mentioned in that article. Been going on for years so it's nothing new. It's another lawsuit that Google will win. And in the slim chance they don't, they'll still be the number one search engine in the foreseeable future.
They have never been investigated for this. There was always talk about it. They will not win this time. They are blatantly being anti-competitive. Anybody looking at their results pages can see that.
I'm really not so sure that they're blatantly anti-competitive, and if so how you could divine that from SERPs. People get bitter because they fall into the gaps in an aggregated data set. It's nothing new. The only thing that's likely to come from this is a greater understanding of the PPC black box since I imagine the courts will probably force Google to reveal details about their ranking algorithms. Other than that, though, haters gonna hate.
Eschatonic is right. I think some people are just bitter because they are not getting the results they want. I don't know if Google manipulates results for their own services. I'll stay away from that one although my belief is they don't. Rig the system to drive up PPC prices? Advertisers are in control. Google simply provides the medium to serve ads. Both of these last two points are easy to prove one way or another. You just need independent programmers analyze the code. I'm sure Google wouldn't want that to happen and I'm not sure if courts can force them. Also agree with Eschatonic that this is good because people will have a better understanding of PPC. But even if that happens, there's still going to be Google haters just like those not believing we sent men to the moon, that 9/11 was an inside job, that Obama was not born in the US or that bin laden is still alive (or has been dead for years, take your pick).
I am not bitter nor a hater. I have nothing to gain or lose from this. I have read extensively and was merely providing my very own opinion on the matter. I am allowed to do that .. aren't I? lucid? eschatonic?
We never said you were bitter or a hater. Just also giving our opinion.We just happen to disagree with you.
Well guys it a double standard Microsoft was taken down somewhat just because it bundle itself in it windows.Google needs a good smack down .
Does not really matter... Google already earns huge revenues so some million $ settlements don't matter...