“Dominance as such is not a problem. However dominant companies have a responsibility not to abuse their powerful market position.” So said E.U. Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager as she “slapped Google with an official complaint Wednesday that accuses the Internet giant of violating fair competition rules by directing users of its Web search to the company’s own products.” The move is the latest salvo in a five year investigation. What’s interesting here is that during those five years, Google has become an almost entirely different company; one focused more on answers (directions, movie times, sports scores) than on initiating a broader search. They’re not alone. Directing users to one’s own core products has become the name of the game for many tech companies. All the big players want as much of your attention as possible; on your laptop, in your car, on your phone, in your living room, around your wrist… The portal is back. And it’s everywhere.

+ Danny Sullivan has been writing about the shift away from search for years: How Google Went From Search Engine To Content Destination.