Google to Face Antitrust Charges in Coming Weeks, Reports Say

Google is likely to face an antitrust case by from the Department of Justice (DOJ) by the end of the month.

This news comes as Attorney General William Barr put pressure on career lawyers at the DOJ to complete work on the potential antitrust case against Google, The New York Times reported.

It is the government's latest move in a long-simmering battle about the tech behemoth's dispute on the Silicon Valley.

The antitrust charges will be filed against Google's parent company, Alphabet, possibly as early as this month.

Other than this probe, Google is already a target in the European Union. It was probed over its $2.1 billion deal to acquire Fitbit, noted Forbes.

The EU was concerned Google's acquisition will further stress its dominance in online advertising. It also raises concerns with access to personal data collected from Fitbit's health tracking.

Uncommon Agreement in Antitrust

Antitrust enforcement against Google has lately become a rare issue of the agreement for both parties. There are 50 states and territories bringing their own antitrust charges against Google, reported Ars Technica.

That means most states are taking part in the effort, no matter which party controls it.

Commonly, Liberals have favored strict enforcement of antitrust laws all over the economy.

Meanwhile, Conservatives favored more restrictions. But they did seem keener in enforcing these laws against tech companies. It is believed that these companies are more biased against conservatives.

DOJ Lawyers Need More Time

DOJ lawyers are being rushed by Bar. But, according to a report from The Verge, they need more time. The lawyers are still not ready with their case and are worried that pushing to file charges this month will weaken their case.

They said they still need to read through millions of pages of documents they have obtained from Mountain View.

The timing of a possible lawsuit made fault lines emerge as Election Day approaches. Some DOJ staffers are worried that Barr is pushing for quick action so that parties can tout achievements for the coming elections.

They opened their probe against Google last June. It was reportedly focused on its massive search business and other parts of the company.

The department also opened a broader case last July. It looked into whether big tech companies like Amazon, Facebook, and Google were making a monopoly out of their services.

They said the July review would review concerns from consumers, businesses, and entrepreneurs. This will include concerns with search, social media, and some online retail services.

Barr had been looking to have a probe on Google for some time. He told senators at his confirmation hearing in January that he would like to see the DOJ look into tech giants.

 "I don't think big is necessarily bad, but I think a lot of people wonder [how] these big behemoths have taken shape in Silicon Valley," he said.

President Trump himself has also complained, though without evidence, that Google has been biased against him. In a 2018 tweet, he said that a search for "Trump News" led him to negative results.

He added in the tweet that "Google & others are suppressing voices of Conservatives and hiding information and news that is good."

Big tech company CEOs testified before Congress last July. It was part of the probe on antitrust. All of them were grilled with questions about their companies' business practices.

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