Google is being investigated by multiple US authorities over whether it's using its dominance in search advertising to scotch competition.At least three state attorneys general have started antitrust investigations into Google, a source familiar with the matter said.
The source declined to elaborate on the details of the investigations by the attorneys general of California, Ohio and New York as they were still in the early stages.
The attorneys general investigation into Google was first reported by the Financial Times, citing people familiar with the investigations.
The news of the attorneys general investigation emerged on the same day the Wall Street Journal reported that the search giant is about to receive the civil equivalent of a subpoena from the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) as part of a probe into the company's search business.
The company has been accused by competitors of favoring its own services over rivals in its search results. Google and the authorities were not available for comment.
The FTC plans to send the civil investigative demand with a request for more information, the civil equivalent of a subpoena, within five days, according to the Journal report.
US antitrust regulators have been concerned about Google's dominance of the search industry, and it has been under investigation by the European Commission since last November.
Complaints has been filed with regulators on both sides of the Atlantic, many from Google rivals who specialise in vertical searches such as price comparison websites.
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