• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Tech

Expect More Google Attacks as Top EU Regulator Heads Stateside

By
Aaron Pressman
Aaron Pressman
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Aaron Pressman
Aaron Pressman
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 5, 2016, 9:49 AM ET
BELGIUM-EU-COMPETITION-VESTAGER
European competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager gives a press conference at European Commission headquarters in Brussels on November 20, 2014. AFP PHOTO/Emmanuel Dunand (Photo credit should read EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images)Emmanuel Dunand — AFP/Getty Images

EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager is coming to the United States this week to defend her wide-ranging and seemingly never-ending investigations of the largest U.S. technology companies. But don’t expect much news—ahead of the speeches, Europe’s top competition enforcer has already signaled that she’s going to keep looking deeper into controversial antitrust, tax, and privacy practices at Alphabet’s Google, Apple, Facebook, and others.

Asked by The Wall Street Journal this week about her latest reviews of Google, for example, Vestager would say only that the investigations of possible improper behavior with the Android mobile operating system and famed Adsense service were “advancing.” The Google (GOOG) probe started back in 2010 and through various fits and starts led to formal charges over search engine favoritism last April.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Discussing an ongoing investigation of the legality of Apple’s (AAPL) Irish tax-reduction strategies, Vestager was similarly noncommittal. “It is very difficult to make predictions as to when the case will be ready for a decision,” she said at a European parliamentary hearing on Monday.

Expect more of the same—plus a healthy dose of denying she has unfairly targeted U.S.-based companies—when she addresses the Women’s Competition Network on Wednesday and then speaks at the American Bar Association’s annual antitrust meeting on Friday. Both gatherings in Washington, D.C., bring together top antitrust lawyers and regulators from around the world, providing a useful platform for Vestager to make her case.

For more on antitrust investigations, watch:

Vestager’s investigations and critiques of the largest U.S. technology companies, which have also focused on Facebook (FB), Amazon (AMZN), and Qualcomm (QCOM), have drawn considerable criticism from U.S. leaders, including President Barack Obama. “In defense of Google and Facebook, sometimes the European response here is more commercially driven than anything else,” the president noted in February in an interview with Re/code’s Kara Swisher.

But as Vestager heads into hostile territory, she’s unlikely to offer much comfort to her critics.

About the Author
By Aaron Pressman
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Block
SuccessLayoffs
Twitter cofounder Jack Dorsey breaks down his thought process when he laid off 40% of his Block staffers because of AI
By Emma BurleighApril 17, 2026
12 minutes ago
Yoshua Bengio seated on a stage.
AIcyber
Anthropic’s Mythos cybersecurity capabilities require urgent international cooperation, AI godfather Yoshua Bengio says
By Beatrice NolanApril 17, 2026
43 minutes ago
broker
CommentarySoftware
The 3 forces quietly dismantling the business model that made enterprise software fabulously profitable
By Michael Jacobides and Stefano PuntoniApril 17, 2026
3 hours ago
Exclusive: Senator presses DOJ and Treasury over status of Binance monitors after $1.7 billion in Iran-linked crypto flows
CryptoIran
Exclusive: Senator presses DOJ and Treasury over status of Binance monitors after $1.7 billion in Iran-linked crypto flows
By Ben WeissApril 17, 2026
5 hours ago
The world holds its breath: Trump says Iran war will end ‘pretty soon’ as uranium deal is in sight
EconomyMarkets
The world holds its breath: Trump says Iran war will end ‘pretty soon’ as uranium deal is in sight
By Jim EdwardsApril 17, 2026
6 hours ago
The startup Blackstone just backed to turn any exec’s data question into instant answers
NewslettersTerm Sheet
The startup Blackstone just backed to turn any exec’s data question into instant answers
By Allie GarfinkleApril 17, 2026
6 hours ago

Most Popular

A world going broke: IMF says America's $39 trillion national debt is actually a global problem—and AI may be the only rescue
Economy
A world going broke: IMF says America's $39 trillion national debt is actually a global problem—and AI may be the only rescue
By Nick LichtenbergApril 16, 2026
20 hours ago
Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
Environment
Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
By Sydney LakeApril 15, 2026
2 days ago
Pope Leo warned the world is in ‘big trouble’ if Elon Musk becomes the first trillionaire
Success
Pope Leo warned the world is in ‘big trouble’ if Elon Musk becomes the first trillionaire
By Preston ForeApril 17, 2026
6 hours ago
Germany already told its workers to ditch four-day weeks and work-life balance. Now the government wants to cut their pay for calling in sick, too
Success
Germany already told its workers to ditch four-day weeks and work-life balance. Now the government wants to cut their pay for calling in sick, too
By Orianna Rosa RoyleApril 16, 2026
1 day ago
MacKenzie Scott is bypassing the Ivy League and rewriting the $79 billion higher ed playbook by giving to HBCUs and community colleges
Politics
MacKenzie Scott is bypassing the Ivy League and rewriting the $79 billion higher ed playbook by giving to HBCUs and community colleges
By Sydney LakeApril 16, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of April 16, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of April 16, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerApril 16, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.