Google shares slip on probe

GOOGLE SHARES SLID about 1.5 percent today after the G-Men joined the long and winding queue of companies having accounting practices probed by regulators.

The search giant disclosed its ongoing dialogue with the US's Securities and Exchange Commission in its annual 10K filing yesterday. Also in the filing, Google warned that data privacy practices risked running counter to certain national laws.

Of course this isn't the first time Google has attracted regulatory interest. Founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page famously provided Playboy with an interview that was published in its pre-IPO quiet. µ