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-backed candidates score major boost from deep-pocketed AI Super PAC in upcoming primaries

How AIPAC’s spending strategy evolved, to the dread of anti-Israel Democrats and Republican detractors

Tulsi Gabbard honors wish of Gold Star wife to visit husband’s grave at Arlington National Cemetery

Trump flexes MAGA muscle in Texas Senate runoff clash between Cornyn and Paxton

Skydiver dies after midair collision with another jumper during group jump in Washington state

Dog accidentally fires shotgun, striking woman yards away during chaotic gas station stop

Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner embraces democratic socialism at Bernie Sanders rally in Portland

Jacob Frey criticized for remembering George Floyd on Memorial Day, six years after death sparked riots

Widow of ‘American Sniper’ Chris Kyle Hits Back Against Dem Senate Candidate for ‘Making Things Up’

Watch: Trump Sums Up Memorial Day Better and Quicker Than Any President in Living Memory – Just 9 Words

President Trump Explains Importance of Memorial Day in Rousing Speech: ‘The Ultimate Sacrifice’

Dem City Gave Muslim Group $35k and Didn’t Track How It Was Spent

Anti-ICE protesters clash with agents outside New Jersey detention center as Gov Sherrill denied entry

Lawmaker Convicted Under ‘Crimes Against Humanity’ Law for Writing Pro-Marriage Pamphlet

Stomach Churning: Paragliding Woman Videos Herself Plummeting After Mid-Air Crash With Plane

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.