Google warns shareholders of government probes

Google has disclosed a pair of international government probes into its business practices.

The company said in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that it is the subject of probes in both Argentina and South Korea.

"Both Argentina’s Comision Nacional de Defensa de la Competencia and the Korea Fair Trade Commission in South Korea have also opened an investigation into certain business practices," the company said in its filing.

Google said that the Argentinian probe was related to its search and advertising businesses, while the Wall Street Journal reported that officials in South Korea are looking into the company's handling of mobile data and advertising.

The company has previously crossed swords with the South Korean government. In 2010, officials raided the company's offices as part of its investigation in data collection by the Street View service.

The probes add an already long list of legal and regulatory Google currently faces. Antitrust authorities in both the US and the EU have expressed concern over the company's dominance of the search and advertising businesses.

Meanwhile, the company remains locked in a highly-publicised patent case with Google.

The company has been accused of violating Oracle's patents on Java with its Android operating system. Senior executives from both companies have been called to testify in the case.