US Department Of Justice Sues Google For Monopoly On Digital Advertising Business

JAKARTA – The US Department of Justice is preparing a second monopoly lawsuit against Alphabet Inc's Google over the giant digital advertising business in internet search, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, September 1.

The Justice Department sued Google in October 2020, accusing the USD 1 trillion company of illegally using its market power to cripple its rivals. The trial is set for September 2023.

When asked about the report, Google replied in an email that "advertising technologies help websites and apps fund their content, enable small businesses to grow, and protect users from exploitative privacy practices and poor ad experiences".

The lawsuit by 38 US states and territories accuses Google of abusing its market power in an attempt to make its search engine as dominant in cars, TVs, and speakers as it is on phones. This is consolidated with a federal lawsuit for discovery purposes.

The state of Texas, backed by other states, also filed a separate lawsuit against Google, accusing it of violating antitrust laws in the way it conducts its online advertising business.

Reuters reported in March that Google plans to block popular web tracking tools called "cookies". This comes as concerns emerged after US Justice Department investigators had asked ad industry executives whether Google's actions would cripple smaller rivals.