Google AdWords lacks transparency: Regulator

BRUSSELS: France's antitrust regulator accused Google on Wednesday of a 'lack of transparency' over its keyword advertising service and ordered it to clarify conditions for the product within four months.

The Autorite de la Concurrence was responding to a complaint filed by French GPS data services company Navx in February, which alleged that the world's top search engine had abused its dominant position by scrapping Navx's AdWords contract.

"Google has implemented the content policy of its AdWords service in a way which lacks objectivity and transparency, resulting in a discriminatory treatment of speed camera database suppliers," the regulator said in a statement.

It ordered Google Ireland and Google Inc. to clarify within four months the scope and impact of the AdWords conditions applicable to devices aimed at evading traffic speed cameras and said Navx's AdWords account should be restored within five days.