Brazil Deepens Google Antitrust Probe

Brazil's antitrust watchdog, Brazil — Administrative Council for Economic Defense, has approved a recommendation to deepen investigations into Alphabet Inc.'s use of journalistic content. The inquiry, which began in 2019, will assess potential abuse of Alphabet Inc.'s dominant market position, particularly concerning its AI generative features that synthesize information directly in search interfaces. Diogo Thomson de Andrade, interim chief of Brazil — Administrative Council for Economic Defense, highlighted the potential structural dependency of news publishers on Alphabet Inc.'s search mechanisms and the possibility of exploitative abuse through extracting value without proportional compensation. Alphabet Inc., a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., believes Brazil — Administrative Council for Economic Defense's decision reflects a misunderstanding of its products.