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.

Lindsey Graham expects Trump’s Iran blockade to go ‘global’

Google engineer stole AI secrets for China, Senate hears in explosive testimony

Pat Fallon launches bid for House Oversight Committee chairman as James Comer’s term limit nears

Suspect accused of hurling chainsaw at deputies during chaotic stolen car chase caught on video

Trump Gives Navy a Shoot-on-Sight Order a Day After Firing its Leader

Watch: Dem Congressional Candidate Accidentally Exposes the Horrors of IVF with Her Pro-Abortion Argument

Memphis dog-walker makes haunting discovery: Bones of 3 children

Overnight ‘Vote-a-Rama’ Ends with Senate Approving ICE Funding Resolution

Ron DeSantis Accepts Hakeem Jeffries’ Challenge, Prepares to Fight Back Against Democrats’ Virginia Power Grab

GOP congressman wants to add Arlington and Alexandria back to DC

Trump admin loosens regulations on state-licensed medical marijuana

Key House committee schedules hearing with embattled ActBlue CEO: ‘Needs to come clean’

Gallego investigated for ‘sexual slur’ in 2013, officials ‘unable to corroborate’

Senate GOP rams through blueprint to bankroll ICE, Border Patrol through end of Trump era

Karen Bass meets with Trump at White House to push for LA wildfire relief after months of clashes

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.