November 14, 2024 – 7:25 AM PST

(Reuters) – The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has taken steps to put Alphabet’s Google under formal federal supervision, the Washington Post reported, potentially mounting yet another regulatory challenge for the Big Tech giant.

Google has fiercely resisted the idea over months of highly secretive talks, the report said on Thursday, citing two people familiar with the discussions.

Federal supervision status can allow regulators access to a company’s internal records.

CFPB and Alphabet declined to comment.

Google already faces government action that could force the company to divest parts of its business, as well as a court order to open up its mobile app store to competition.

(Reporting by Zaheer Kachwala in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)