Justice Department Prepares to Launch Antitrust Investigation into Google

According to recent reports, the U.S. Justice Department is preparing to launch an antitrust investigation into Alphabet Inc.’s Google.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the U.S. Justice Department is preparing to begin an antitrust investigation into Google that could see the tech giant come under a new wave of scrutiny from regulators. According to people familiar with the matter, the antitrust division of the Justice Department has been gathering information and preparing for the investigation for weeks.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which shares antitrust authority with the Justice Department, has previously conducted antitrust investigations into Google on a broader scale but closed the investigation in 2013 with no action taken. Google did, however, make some voluntary changes to some of its business practices as a result of the investigation.

The FTC and Justice Department have been discussing which group will oversee further antitrust investigations of Google, with the FTC agreeing to give the Justice Department full jurisdiction over Google. Now that an understanding has been reached between the two government bodies, the Justice Department is preparing to conduct an in-depth investigation into Google. It has yet to be revealed if the Justice Department has contacted Google in relation to the investigation.

Trump blames ‘VANDALS’ for damaging National Mall grass after World War II Memorial graffiti

Tupac Shakur murder trial kicks off as Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis faces jury nearly three decades after shooting

Texas Man Kills Alleged Intruder in Shootout – Police Say Suspect Had a Protective Order Filed Against Him

Cops Address Foul Play Questions After Actress Hayden Panettiere Found Dead at Age 36

US awards Raytheon $22.9B Tomahawk deal as Trump dismisses weapons stockpile concerns

Actress Hayden Panettiere dies suddenly at age 36 and more top headlines

CEO says doing business in state ‘sucks’ as company heads to Texas amid California exodus

Far-left politicians still using ActBlue as 88-year-old disputes donating nearly $150,000 to fundraising giant

As Pelosi’s exit nears, San Francisco Democratic candidates fight over what comes next

Russell Fry endorses ex-rival Darline Graham after failing to advance to special GOP US Senate primary runoff

Homeland Security investigated Minnesota labor unions as part of ‘terrorist financing’ probe in anti-ICE antifa case: Court documents

Trump blames vandals for dead grass on National Mall where he hosted 4th of July celebration

NYPD officers fatally shoot man armed with butcher knife after he advanced toward cops: police

Louisiana man accused of killing wife, propping her body up for multistate drive

Todd Blanche backs Jeanine Pirro after Lincoln Memorial pool vandalism case dismissal

Those familiar with the matter stated that the Justice Department has been in contact with third-party groups that have been critical of Google in the past. The Wall Street Journal reached out to the Justice Department and Google for comment on the matter but did not receive a reply. The FTC declined to comment on the issue.

Breitbart News reported in March of this year that Silicon Valley giant Google has been fined $1.7 billion by the European Union for the company’s third breach of E.U. antitrust laws in three years. The latest fine against the company relates to Google’s AdSense advertising service and “illegal practices in search advertising brokering to cement its dominant market position,” according to European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager.

Vestager and her team concluded that third-party websites that sued Google to power their search and advertising features had “restrictive clauses in contracts” preventing them from hosting ads from rival search engines. In a press release, Vestager stated:

Today the Commission has fined Google €1.49 billion for illegal misuse of its dominant position in the market for the brokering of online search adverts. Google has cemented its dominance in online search adverts and shielded itself from competitive pressure by imposing anti-competitive contractual restrictions on third-party websites. This is illegal under EU antitrust rules. The misconduct lasted over 10 years and denied other companies the possibility to compete on the merits and to innovate – and consumers the benefits of competition.