German regulators have launched an investigation into Google's market position and how the search engine and advertising giant handles user data, AP reported.

Bundeskartellamt has announced legal action against Google companies in Germany, Ireland, and California based on new provisions of German competition law that apply to large digital companies.

Similar investigations have been launched against Facebook and Amazon in recent months.

Google denies that its actions violate German competition rules.

 The second study will explore Google's data processing terms, which are often long and difficult for users to understand.