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.

Republicans, Take Note: Ballot Measure Success in Face of Blue Wave Shows Voters Still Want Conservative Policies

JD Vance Says ‘Everyone Knows Why We Lost’ in Fiery Post-Election Message

New Jersey pre-K aide faces 61 charges, accused of filming himself sexually assaulting students at school

Grocery store cyberattacks are ‘psychological warfare’ that could strike US, former FBI agent warns

Erika Kirk channels Charlie with blunt message to conservatives after GOP midterm losses

Conservative Commentator Steve Deace Nails the Most Infuriating Part About Democrats’ Midterm Triumph: It Was Preventable

Midterm upheaval of Congress provides little reassurance for Ukraine as ‘nucleus’ of support is ousted or steps down

Latest Numbers: ‘Decoy’ Candidate Could Cost Republicans a Senate Seat as Alaska Race Comes Down to the Wire

Florida congressman diagnoses GOP’s blue tsunami losses: ‘We failed to make them think we cared about them’

Vance courting disgruntled Trump voters to form ‘new right’ alliance after Republican bloodbath, sources say

Fox News/NORC Study: Voters look to 2028 focused on the economy

Star Fox News Reporter Explains How One Midterm Result in Particular Sets the Stage for an Unprecedented Border Disaster

NYC’s Mamdani says Abdul El-Sayed’s Senate victory in Michigan ‘means so much to so many’

Trump ‘couldn’t transfer the love’ of his supporters to other Republicans amid historic midterm loss

Helicopter crash near Miami leaves at least 1 dead, 2 injured: report

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.