Brazil regulator launches probe into Google news content use

Brazil regulators have recently approved deeper probe into Google's news content use.

This comes as on Thursday, Brazil's antitrust watchdog CADE approved a recommendation to deepen investigations into the use of journalistic content by ‌Alphabet's Google, which would assess potential abuse of the company's dominant market position.

CADE's members backed a proposal from its interim chief Diogo Thomson de Andrade to return the case to its general superintendence for formal administrative proceedings, citing the evolution of Google's conduct since the 2019 inquiry began.

The case began following CADE's 2019 determination to examine competitive conditions in search and news markets.

Initial investigation focused on Google's automated collection of journalistic content and its display in search results.

CADE's ‌general superintendence had previously recommended shelving the case for lack of sufficient evidence of violations.

New Findings about Google News content:

De Andrade's new analysis noted Google's conduct evolved with AI generative features that synthesize information directly in search interfaces.

It highlighted potential structural dependency of news publishers on Google's search mechanisms for audience reach.

De Andrade pointed out this could constitute exploitative abuse through extracting value from third-party content without proportional compensation.