Similar to what Facebook is going through, emerging reports have it that Google is currently under antitrust investigations by the United States Government.
This news came barely 24 hours after the Attorney-General of New York announced that Facebook was being probed for stifling competition by buying up other tech firms and copying features from rival apps.
Reasons explained: Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton is investigating Google, because of the company’s high dominance in the ad market and in the use of consumer data.
[READ MORE: How Facebook plans to combat fake news in Nigeria and other African countries]
Google’s response: In a blog post, Google’s spokesperson responded, acknowledging the fact that it had received requests for information from the Department of Justice about its business practices. Google further stated that it had worked constructively with regulators and would continue to do so without endangering any user.
What you should know: Pressure has been high on both Google and Facebook, as they have been under a lot of scrutiny by the United States government. Google’s video streaming platform, YouTube, recently had a fine of $170 million imposed on it for violating the kid’s Federal Privacy Law. Facebook has also been fined $5 billion for privacy violations.
The regulatory actions at the federal level have had a minimal impact on the Big Tech companies over their handling of user data. However, other tech giants such as Amazon and Apple may not be left out as investigations could extend to other companies.
[READ ALSO: Why Google disabled more than 200 YouTube channels]
What this means: Unlike the privacy and consumer protection concerns that Facebook and Google have faced over the past months, this new anti-trust investigation poses a more direct threat to the business models of these companies.
