America’s attorneys general at the state level are investigating Alphabet Inc’s Google for potential antitrust violations and are leaning toward pushing for a breakup of its ad technology business as part of an expected suit, CNBC reported recently, citing private sources.
In addition, the Justice Department at the federal level is probing Google’s Android operating system, its search bias, advertising.
Google spokesperson Julie Tarallo McAlister in a statement detailed Google’s cooperation with the Justice Department and the state attorney general office.
“We don’t have any updates or comments on speculation. The facts are clear: Our digital advertising products compete across a crowded industry with hundreds of rivals and technologies, and have helped lower costs for advertisers and consumers,” Tarallo said.
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Several antitrust complaints against the company center on its promotion of its core business such as search and how it makes money.
Google, of course, says that it has done no wrong.
“We continue to engage with the ongoing investigations led by the Department of Justice and Attorney General Paxton, and we don’t have any updates or comments on speculation,” a Google statement says. “The facts are clear. Our digital advertising products compete across a crowded industry with hundreds of rivals and technologies and have helped lower costs for advertisers and consumers” Google added.
Facebook Inc, Amazon.com, Apple are also under a series of probes into allegations that the tech giants use their advantage to shut smaller rivals such as tech startups off.