POLICY
POLICY
POLICY
Report: Justice Department could file antitrust lawsuit against Google this month
The U.S. Department of Justice could file an antitrust lawsuit against Google LLC as soon as later this month, according to a report from The New York Times.
Various reports have emerged over the last 12 months that both the Justice Department and state attorneys general have an ongoing investigation into the search giants practices. The new push is said to be coming from the Trump administration.
The Times said Attorney General William Barr is pushing justice department officials to move ahead with the lawsuit while attorneys within the department are arguing that they need more time to prepare the case. Those lawyers are said to be concerned that moving ahead too quickly with filing the antitrust case could weaken its chances of success.
With Barr said to be behind the push, there is an implication that the pursuit has shades of partisanship. Various parts of federal and state governments, however, have previously pursuing Google and other big tech companies has seen support across the board.
Arguably, Republicans have tended to be more shy in pursuing antitrust complaints against large businesses than their Democratic colleagues. As Ars Technica pointed out, in this case, some of the vigor from the right of politics in pursuing big tech may stem from the argument of political bias from tech companies against conservatives. The Times noted that a case against Google could also give the administration an election-season achievement on an issue that both Democrats and Republicans see as a major problem.
The department launched a formal investigation into Google along with Facebook Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. in July 2019 with a focus on whether the company was stifling competition in the industry. In Google’s case, the investigation was looking at the company’s search business along with other markets it currently dominates online.
A spokesman for Google told the Times that the company would “continue to engage with ongoing investigations” and that its business practices enable “increased choice and competition.”
Photo: Spiros Vathis/Flickr
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