The US government is taking legal action against Google. The internet giant is accused of creating a monopoly.
The US government wants to sue the Internet giant Google. The Ministry of Justice announced this in a press conference. The Alphabet subsidiary is accused of forming a monopoly. Google is supposed to systematically push other search engines out of the market and take advantage of its dominance in the segment. The company's online advertising practices should also be the subject of the antitrust proceedings.
The lawsuit is due to be filed on October 20th. In a first statement that Google published on its homepage, the group called the lawsuit "deeply flawed". Internet users would proactively choose Google, although there are alternatives. The lawsuit would not help users. On the contrary: it would ensure that alternative, "lower quality search engines" are supported. It would also increase the prices of smartphones.
Broad support
The filing of the lawsuit was preceded by a 16-month investigation. Both Republicans and Democrats have long criticized the dominant economic role played by major Internet corporations such as Google, Facebook, Amazon and Apple. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren (71) had in a tweet on September 11th, for example, called for "swift, firm action" against Google.