The Federal Trade Commission has opened an investigation into Google’s $1 billion acquisition of Waze, The Post has learned.
Regulators will examine Google’s June 11 purchase of the Israel-based social mapping service, even though the deal “closed” earlier this month, two sources close to the situation said.
Google believed it did not need to submit the deal for review because Waze’s US revenue is less than $70 million.
Google is already a force in the digital mapping industry, and Waze’s own CEO Noam Bardin once characterized his company as one of the only competitive threats to its new owner.
In January, the FTC, under a commissioner who has since resigned, closed a 20-month probe of Google’s search practices by allowing the Mountain View, Calif., company to voluntarily remove restrictions on the use of its online search advertising platform.
If the FTC concludes that Google must divest Waze, Google most likely will have to take the potential loss in re-selling the company.
Apple, Facebook and Microsoft all have reportedly bid for the mapping firm.
Waze has almost 50 million users who pool their data and share real-time traffic updates.
The Post reported almost two weeks ago that a protracted regulatory review was on the way.
While Google has said Waze will remain independent, any plans to integrate the service with its own could be delayed while the probe is ongoing.
Google and FTC spokesmen declined comment.
jkosman@nypost.com