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IAC / InterActive Corp, the US holding company with well-known internet and media brands in 100 companies, had Google remove several of its Chrome browser extensions on Sunday for violating the policies.
In a statement to Reuters, Google explained: “We continue to have discussions with IAC regarding Chrome Web Store policies and have already removed several of its extensions for violating our policies … We are reviewing the remaining extensions and our app options, and I have not made a decision on the IAC status in the store. “
As Engadget reports, it was The Wall Street Journal that it first learned that Google was considering “severe penalties” against IAC due to a series of deceptive practices the company uses, as discovered by the Chrome Trust and Security team. It is not clear which specific policies IAC violated, but an example of a violation was that IAC voting announcements installed the Ask.com toolbar and changed a user’s default home page.
An IAC spokeswoman responded to the removal of the browser extension, saying: “Google has taken hundreds of millions of dollars from us to advertise and distribute these products on the Chrome Store … There is nothing new here: Google has used its position to shrinking our browser business to the last corner of the Internet, which they are now trying to override. “
Google is believed to be considering its options in terms of penalties because both companies are actually rivals in some areas where policy violations have occurred. Therefore, any sanction imposed runs the risk of being considered anti-competitive behavior.
