Sundar Pichai, Alphabet Inc’s chief executive officer, will speak to the European Union’s antitrust chief just days after the EU announced it would investigate the company’s data collection and advertising practices.
Margrethe Vestager, the bloc’s head of digital affairs and antitrust, will speak to Pichai on January 25, according to the EU calendar on Friday.
Earlier this week, EU regulators confirmed sending out questionnaires as part of an investigation into data collection and advertising practices at Alphabet’s Google division. The move comes as antitrust authorities around the world have examined more closely how technology companies collect and use information from people and companies who use their services.
An EU spokesman said Pichai and Vestager would “discuss issues within the digital and competitive portfolio”. Google declined to comment.
The EU has been researching Google’s data practices since 2019, including how Amazon.com Inc uses its competitors’ sales data. The potential use of data from Google’s acquisition of Health Tracker Fitbit was examined by the EU before the acquisition was conditionally approved last month.
Google also criticized Vestager’s plans to regulate the tech giants more tightly. Vestager last month put forward plans to limit the capabilities of Internet companies if they are seen as an essential “gatekeeper” for digital services.
