Nearly 40 states charge Google of antitrust law violation [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Google was slammed with antitrust charges by more than a dozen attorneys general from different states.
• The lawsuit claims that the tech company abused its power by taking over the search engine platform, limiting competitor presence in the online world.
• The latest move also showed the U.S is catching up with the regulators in Europe, which, for several years, has attempted to hold down Google.

On Thursday,  at least a dozen states filed an antitrust complaint against Google, accusing the tech giant of illegally monopolizing the online search platform that harms both advertisers and consumers.

The charge was submitted in a Washington, D.C. federal court by the attorneys general of 35 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia.

Phil Weiser, Colorado Attorney General, said that the search engine lacks the advantages of competition that leads to inferior product quality and higher costs, which affects both the consumers and advertisers. 

The court case was also joined by the attorneys general of Washington, Pennsylvania, Alaska, Nevada, Arizona, Oklahoma, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Delaware, Ohio, Utah, Virginia, Hawaii, Iowa, Tennessee, Idaho, Illinois, New Mexico, Kansas, West Virginia, Maine, Wyoming, Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina, North Dakota,  Minnesota, Nebraska, Vermont, New Hampshire, South Dakota, New York, and Oregon.

Google is yet to respond to a call for a statement.

The recent case would be the third antitrust case against Google within the last two months as the attorneys general across the nation and U.S.

Department of Justice decided on the specific details on how they consider the company is using its massive power to injure other industries, technology, and even customers who are too dependable on its services.

In more ways than one, the series of U.S. antitrust charges signify an effort to draw alongside European controllers who, in the last many years, attempted to pin Google down, usually with enormous penalties with almost no visible effect to the company.

The lawsuit also reflects the federal government’s accusations but goes over them by looking to prevent Google from being the dominant force in the modern world’s latest innovation. This includes technologies such as voice-assisted gadgets and internet-powered vehicles. The complaint also cited the company’s blocking of search servers that provide entertainment, home repair, and travel services, and even denying access to its advertising tool, SA360, to rivals such as Bing.

Tom Miller, Iowa Attorney General, said they have discussed with the Justice Department as they build up their case. They also requested that their case be joined with the agency’s lawsuit, consenting other claims to push forward,  noting the effort will be a unified action.

Alex Harman of the Public Citizen, a non-profit consumer advocacy group, said the organization is welcoming the recent lawsuit, adding that Google developed a monopoly over online ads, which are discriminating. He also noted that with full control of its search platform,  Google has was able to unethically block competitors while endorsing its services.

Source: AOL