Search engine giant Google has come under scrutiny from the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

According to a BBC news report, the CMA is investigating the US technology giant under a new law which means the regulator can demand changes at a firm if it is found to hold too much power in a particular market.

Google accounts for more than 90% of searches in the UK and 200,000 businesses use the company’s search advertising to reach customers.

The CMA says businesses spend an average £33,000 a year on Google adverts, but if competition was working well the figure could be lower. The average person in the UK makes between five and 10 searches a day using Google.

The CMA said it was not accusing Google of anti-competitive practices at this time, but it has set out a “roadmap” of changes the company could make to its business ahead of a final decision in October.

These could include requiring “choice” screens for users to access different search providers as well as more transparency and control for publishers whose content appears in search results.

The BBC adds, “Google search has delivered tremendous benefits but our investigation so far suggests there are ways to make these markets more open, competitive and innovative,” said CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell.

She said  “targeted and proportionate” changes “would give UK  consumers more choice.

Google expressed its concern, claiming the CMA presented clear challenges to its business in the UK. A spokesperson added that the UK benefited as Google usage meant innovation and new services were introduced earlier to British customers because of its popularity.

Google has also faced scrutiny in the EU  and in the US where regulators alleged an illegal search monopoly.

The BBC said airlines were among 47 organisations which detailed how Google search practices help or hinder them. EasyJet said changes to the search engine in the European Union, as a result of its digital markets law, sent more customers to online travel agencies and aggregators which they claimed misrepresented its services and prices.