The United States Department of Justice is preparing an antitrust investigation against Google, already subject to sanctions in Europe for anti-competitive practices. The Wall Street Journal reveals it. The antitrust division is preparing to “closely examine Google’s business practices” regarding its search engine and other activities, according to the strong anonymous quotations quoted by the newspaper.
In recent years, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has carried out numerous checks on Google’s domain in the field of online research and advertising, but recently they have asked Congress to open new investigations. Google, which has often been attacked by US president Donald Trump, has with Facebook – a large share of the online advertising market and its Android mobile system powers most of the world’s smartphones.
In Europe, Google has been sanctioned three times by the EU antitrust: In 2017 for 2.4 billion euros due to the abuse of a dominant position in the online comparison and shopping sector, in 2018 for the same abuses related to the operating system Android and finally last March for 1.49 billion, due to unfair practices in the online advertising sector.
Through its various services and platforms in addition to the search engine – YouTube, online reviews, maps and more. Google has become one of the richest companies in the world in just two decades. Several technology companies have complained to the Justice Department in the past about the anticompetitive nature of certain practices of Google, a subsidiary of the Alphabet Group.
The FTC announced this year the creation of a working group dedicated to the oversight of large companies in the high technology sector. The ministry is preparing to take a close look at Google’s business practices, including its research activities, the sources said. This marks a new chapter in the tech giant’s war with regulators around the world who believe society is too big and threatens consumers.
