Report: FTC to Probe Google Purchase of Waze

The Federal Trade Commission is investigating whether Google's $1 billion acquisition of Waze was an anti-competitive business practice, The New York Post reported.

Google purchased the Israel-based social mapping service to enhance its Google Maps products on June 11, but believed it did not need to submit the deal for a review, the Post reported

The Waze app, with more than 50 million users, has GPS mapping software that updates routes in real-time, allowing users to notify other drivers of traffic conditions including police enforcement and red-light cameras.

Waze CEO Noam Bardin said in April that Waze was “the only reasonable competition” to Google in terms of real-time maps used for navigation via mobile devices, International Business Times reported.

The FTC may force Google to resell Waze by auction if the purchase is determined to violate antitrust law. Facebook, Apple and Microsoft reportedly have bid for Waze, IBD reported.