03 June 2019 - US preparing antitrust investigation against Google
U.S. Justice Department prepares Google antitrust probe: sources
Diane Bartz (The Guardian Canada, 03/06/2019)
The U.S. Justice Department is preparing an investigation of Alphabet Inc's Google to determine whether the tech giant broke antitrust law in operating its sprawling online businesses, two sources familiar with the matter said.
Officials from the Justice Department's Antitrust Division and Federal Trade Commission, which both enforce antitrust law, met in recent weeks to give Justice jurisdiction over Google, said the sources, who sought anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record.
The potential investigation represents the latest attack on a tech company by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has accused social media companies and Google of suppressing conservative voices on their platforms online.
Explainer: Why Google has a target on its back in Washington
Jan Wolfe (Reuters, 02/06/2019)
The U.S. Justice Department is preparing an investigation of Alphabet Inc’s Google to determine whether the technology company violated laws to ensure fair competition, two sources familiar with the matter said.
The potential investigation, first reported on Friday, is the latest challenge for Google which already faces a raft of complaints about its business practices from rivals, as well as Democrats and Republicans. EU regulatory actions have already led to multibillion dollar fines and reforms to Google’s business practices.
The U.S. probe would focus on accusations Google gave preference to its own businesses in search results, one source said.
Google Should Be Afraid. Very Afraid.
Shira Ovide (Washington Post, 02/06/2019)
This is the moment the U.S. technology superpowers surely knew was coming: The U.S. government is preparing to crawl all over Google to figure out whether it is an abusive monopolist. Google parent company Alphabet Inc. and the other tech giants should be quaking in their fleece vests.
Bloomberg News and other news organizations reported late Friday that the U.S. Department of Justice is preparing to open an investigation into Google’s compliance with antitrust laws. If it goes forward, an investigation will no doubt be broad, lengthy, messy, and impossible for Google and its investors to predict.
That should terrify Google and every other big technology company — because there’s no guarantee that the antitrust Klieg light will turn on one company alone.
Google and Amazon Are at the Center of a Storm Brewing Over Big Tech
Cecilia Kang, David Streitfeld, Katie Rogers and Stephanie Saul (The New York Times, 03/06/2019)
Google and Amazon have thrived as American regulators largely kept their distance. That may be changing.
Politicians on the right and left are decrying the tech companies’ enormous power. President Trump and other Republicans have taken swipes at Amazon over taxes and at Google over search results they say are biased. Democrats have focused on whether the companies stifle competition.
And now, the two federal agencies that handle antitrust matters have split up oversight of the two companies, with the Justice Department taking Google and the Federal Trade Commission taking Amazon, according to three people with knowledge of the matter.