US Files Anti-Trust Lawsuit Against Google, Alleging It's a Monopoly In At Least One Field, Search

They're merely a monopoly in the no-potatoes field of... searching the internet for information.

The companies that obeyed the pressure of Social Justice Warriors may have to pay a heavy price for so doing.

he Justice Department on Tuesday sued Google for antitrust violations, alleging that it abused its dominance in online search and advertising to stifle competition and harm consumers.

The lawsuit marks the government’s most significant act to protect competition since its groundbreaking case against Microsoft more than 20 years ago. It could be an opening salvo ahead of other major government antitrust actions, given ongoing investigations of major tech companies including Apple, Amazon and Facebook at both the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission.

'Google is the gateway to the internet and a search advertising behemoth," U.S. Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen told reporters. "It has maintained its monopoly power through exclusionary practices that are harmful to competition."

Antitrust cases in the technology industry have to move quickly, he said. Otherwise "we could lose the next wave of innovation."

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Google responded immediately via tweet: "Today's lawsuit by the Department of Justice is deeply flawed. People use Google because they choose to -- not because they’re forced to or because they can't find alternatives."

The case was filed in federal court in Washington, D.C. It alleges that Google uses billions of dollars collected from advertisers to pay phone manufacturers to ensure Google is the default search engine on browsers. Eleven states, all with Republican attorneys general, joined the federal government in the lawsuit.

posted by Ace at 12:13 PM

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