SEARCH WARRANT

Google’s $2.7B EU fine could lead to US probe

The $2.7 billion slap that European regulators gave Google on Tuesday may eventually pack a wallop in the US.

To date, US regulators haven’t shown themselves to be as alarmed about privacy, taxes and monopolistic tactics as their counterparts overseas.

But with the EU’s eye-popping penalty in the headlines, well-placed insiders believe US authorities may now take a fresh look at the unprecedented dominance of Google’s search engine — in the form of a new regulatory probe.

“The fine is a very big deal,” said Seth Bloom, an antitrust lawyer who advised Yelp in its complaint that successfully pushed for the EU penalty. “It’s the first real sanction against Google.”

“Certainly the strong possibility exists the FTC will want to take another look” and reopen the Google antitrust case, Bloom told The Post.

In January 2013, the FTC closed an investigation into a slew of gripes about Google’s search engine — including the EU’s specific concern that it shows a preference for its own shopping-comparison site in product searches — without levying any financial penalties.

But after Tuesday’s news from the EU, a source who played a key role in the 2013 FTC investigation, siding with Google at the time, also believes there could be a new investigation coming from the FTC.

“The fact Europeans are fining Google keeps the issue alive in the US,” according to the well-placed source.

“We respectfully disagree with the conclusions announced today,” Kent Walker, Google’s general counsel, said in a statement. “We will review the commission’s decision in detail as we consider an appeal, and we look forward to continuing to make our case.”

The US Federal Trade Commission has long been slammed by critics for going soft on Google as it increasingly expands its reach into every facet of daily life, disrupting traditional industries.

That’s in sharp contrast to the European Union, whose massive fine against Google was the latest in a series of mega-penalties it has levied against the likes of Apple, Facebook and Microsoft.

When the FTC investigated Google, President Obama had close relations with Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt, an Obama campaign adviser. Now, President Trump, who is not cozy with Silicon Valley, is in charge.

The European Commission’s fine and the renewed possibility of a US investigation into Google make it more likely the Trump administration will choose a new FTC chief, sources said.

Interim FTC Chair Maureen Ohlhausen was a Republican FTC commissioner who voted to close the Google search investigation in 2013.

Meanwhile, tech Web giants including Amazon and Facebook cannot see the Google fine as welcome news.

“They should be scared and be formulating a different Euro strategy,” said another source close to Google who was involved in the tech giant’s 2013 case.