December 18 United States, on the 17th local time, the attorneys general of up to 38 states in the United States filed a lawsuit against Google. The lawsuit claims that Google has an illegal monopoly in the online search and search advertising market.
The lawsuit was reportedly led by eight states, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee and Utah.
Previously, the U.S. Department of Justice and 11 states also filed antitrust lawsuits, accusing Google of using anti-competitive agreements to ensure that it is dominant in search engines on smartphones.
The latest lawsuit also accuses Google of taking action to block or suppress search results that lower professional engines in the fields of travel, home decoration and entertainment.
David Dininelli, a former antitrust official at the Department of Justice, said that the new lawsuit highlights Google’s alleged crack down on other competitors that provide specific search services, which may include websites such as Hotels.com or Angie’s List. He said that the result of monopoly obviously harms the interests of consumers and small enterprises.
“If you are a hotel in Taos, New Mexico, you can’t rely on good ratings on Hotels.com or mention in articles in Travel + Leisure magazine, because Google wants to make money by searching for most of the results on the home page.”
Diinelli said. The only way to reach the customers you want to attract is to pay Google to ensure that they are seen on the first page of the advertisement, rather than following the results of natural selection.”
On the 16th local time, Texas and nine other states also sued Google for anti-competitive behavior in advertising technology.
According to people familiar with the matter, the latest states are currently reviewing the complaints filed by Texas, but have not yet decided whether to participate in the case.
As part of the lawsuit filed on the 17th, these states are also consolidating their cases with those of the Department of Justice.
