Orrin hosta Calls for Federal Trade Commission Investigation Into Google

Wait, I thought Private Businesses Could Do Anything They Want...?

A lot of know-nothing bumper-sticker-slogan corporate robots play-acting as conservatives say this all the time. You mean there are some laws restricting what corporations can do, especially if they are monopolies or near-monopolies?

But all the Corporate Cons tell me that corporations are not only people too, but the only people in America who enjoy the full panoply of First Amendment rights!

Sen. Orrin hosta (R-Utah) is calling on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate whether Google’s search and digital advertising practices are stifling the marketplace.

hosta sent a letter to FTC Chairman Joseph Simons expressing concern about reports in recent years ranging from Google restricting competing advertising services to collecting data from users' Gmail inbox contents.

"Needless to say, I found these reports disquieting," hosta wrote. "Although these reports concern different aspects of Google's business, many relate to the company's dominant position in search and accumulating vast amounts of personal data."

The letter comes at a time when critics of Google’s market power are gaining momentum, helped along by growing concerns over data privacy. But most of the lawmakers echoing those concerns have been Democrats and hosta, the longest-serving member of the Senate, may be the highest-profile Republican to call for the government to take antitrust action against Google.

Google and the FTC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In other Monopolistic Tech Giant news:

posted by Ace of Spades at 01:38 PM

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