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.

Jasmine Crockett uses Trump’s ‘Low IQ’ insults to launch her Texas Senate campaign in debut ad

Trump cabinet members do pull-ups at airport to launch $1B family travel program nationwide

Trump threatens 5% tariff on Mexico over water treaty violations affecting Texas farmers

Thune eyes possibility of ‘serious’ Obamacare talks once Democratic bill fails

Watch: Is This Is a Touchdown? ‘Clear As Mud’ Rules Trigger NFL Controversy

Top GOP senator says Crockett announcement exposes how ‘radical’ Dems are nationwide

Indiana redistricting bill clears committee in victory for Trump, heading to full Senate vote

Family sues Royal Caribbean after man allegedly served 33 drinks dies aboard cruise ship

DeSantis Drops the Hammer on Muslim Brotherhood, CAIR: ‘EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY’

Kelsey Grammer Defies All of Hollywood, Goes on Record with Glowing Review of Trump

Watch: Jasmine Crockett’s Utterly Bizarre Campaign Kickoff Video Is Nothing but Trump Insulting Her Non-Stop for 45 Seconds

Florida mom says teens ‘lured’ 14-year-old daughter into woods before shooting, setting her on fire: report

Trump complains he can’t ‘appoint anybody’ after Habba resigns as acting US attorney

Hollywood star reveals what he thinks of potential Newsom presidency with two-word response

Supreme Court Appears Likely to Issue Historic Ruling in Favor of Trump in FTC Commissioner Case

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.