WASHINGTON, DC — When you own 90% of global internet search traffic, the competition doesn’t stand a chance. The Justice Department is finally doing something about Google’s dominance in the internet search engine arena and they are expected to file a lawsuit alleging that Google has been manipulating online searches to suppress the competition, harming consumers in the process.
A party familiar with the move, informed The Associated Press that the DOJ is expected to file it’s lawsuit on Tuesday. The filing marks the government’s strongest action against a tech giant since it sued Microsoft over 20 years ago. The litigation could signal that the Justice Department is ready to move on several other major government antitrust actions, against major tech companies including Apple, Amazon, Twitter and Facebook.
Lawmakers and consumer advocates have long accused Alphabet Inc., parent company of Google “of abusing its dominance in online search and advertising to stifle competition and boost its profits,” according to AP.
Critics contend that multibillion-dollar fines and mandated changes in Google’s practices imposed by European regulators in recent years weren’t severe enough and that structural changes are needed for Google to change its conduct.
Along with it’s suppression of competitors, Google will be accused of paying cell phone manufacturers to make sure that Google is the default search engine on browsers. The lawsuit is expected to be filed Tuesday in a D.C. court when a formal announcement is expected.
Alphabet Inc., which is based in Mountain View, California, has continually denied claims of unfair competition against Google. The company argues that, while its businesses are massive, they are also extremely beneficial to consumers having created many innovations that improve and help people manage their lives. Alphabet claims that Google faces plenty of competition and actions against it are unwarranted.
The company also notes that the majority of its services are provided at no cost to the consumer, in exchange for personal information and data collection that helps Google sell and place ads.
Google insists that it holds no special power forcing people to use its free services or preventing them from going elsewhere.
