Turkiye: Announced investigation into Google and Alphabet over alleged abuse of dominant market position

On 2 February 2023, the Turkish Competition Authority announced the launch of an official investigation into Google LLC and its parent company Alphabet Inc for allegedly violating Article 6 of Turkiye's Competition Law No. 4054, which prohibits the abuse of a dominant market position in Turkiye. This follows a preliminary inquiry by the Competition Authority on the company's potential abuse of its dominant position in the general search services market, whose findings were "serious and sufficient" to launch a case on the "economic integrity" of the company. Specifically, Google is alleged to position its own features in an anti-competitive preferential matter on its general search results page, restricting consumers from accessing rival websites.