The US Department Of Justice Sues Big Tech's Monopoly, Google's Main Target

US Attorney General Merrick Garland, sue Google and Big Tech. (photo: twitter @itsClarkPowers)

JAKARTA - The US Department of Justice sued Alphabet's Google again on Tuesday, January 24. This marks the third antitrust lawsuit filed against the tech giant since the administration of former President Donald Trump initiated an investigation into the platform and now President Joe Biden's administration has vowed to continue the investigation.

Following are major US government investigations and lawsuits regarding Big Tech.

Google:

The US Department of Justice sued Google on Tuesday, accusing the company of abusing its dominance of the digital advertising business and saying Google should be forced to sell its suite of ad managers, in the government's latest attempt to cut off some of Big Tech's power.

The US Department of Justice had previously sued Google in October 2020, alleging the $1 trillion company illegally used its market power to cripple search engine rivals. The case is scheduled to be heard in September.

Dozens of US states and territories also filed a broader version of the lawsuit from the Justice Department lawsuit in December 2020. State prosecutors accused Google of abusing its market power to try to make its search engine dominant in cars, TVs and speakers as well as in cell phones. The same judge is hearing federal and state lawsuits in DC federal court

Also in 2020, Texas, backed by nine other states, filed a lawsuit against Google, alleging the internet search company violated antitrust laws in conducting its online advertising business. The case was moved to New York, to be tried with other similar cases.

The Department of Justice is also investigating Google to determine whether bundling its Maps product with other Google software illegally inhibits competition.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland said Tuesday, after the Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit against Alphabet's Google, that Big Tech has been trying to beat its rivals in the online advertising business using anticompetitive tactics for 15 years.

Garland, as quoted by Reuters, added that as a result of Google's practices, the United States had suffered as an advertiser, but had to pay more for advertising.

Facebook:

The Federal Trade Commission and a large group of states filed separate lawsuits to ask the court to force Meta Platforms to sell WhatsApp and Instagram, saying the social media company was using a "buy or bury" strategy to seize rivals and keep smaller competitors from growing.

The judge dismissed the state's suit on the grounds that they had waited too long to hear their case. But state attorneys have filed an appeal while the FTC complaint continues.

Apple:

The Department of Justice is investigating Apple, which was revealed in June 2019. It seems they are focusing on Apple's app store. Some app developers accuse Apple of introducing new products that closely resemble existing apps made by other developers and selling in the Apple Store, and then trying to remove older apps from the store as they compete with Apple's new product. Apple says it's only trying to have the highest quality products in the app store.

Amazon:

In its investigation of Amazon, the FTC is believed to be investigating Amazon's inherent conflicts of interest competing with small sellers on its marketplace platform, including allegations that it uses information from sellers on its platform to decide what products to sell.