Google sued by Trump’s government for ‘illegally abusing search engine to dominate industry’

THE US Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against Google – alleging that it abused its online dominance to stifle competition and harm consumers.

Net giant Google has long been accused by American lawmakers of allowing its search engine monopoly to hammer rivals and boost profits.

Google has allegedly abused its dominant search positionCredit: Unsplash

Critics say multibillion-dollar fines and changes in Google’s practices imposed by European regulators have not been severe enough – insisting structural changes are needed.

The lawsuit, filed in Washington DC, alleges that Google uses billions from advertisers to pay phone manufacturers to ensure it is the default search engine on browsers.

A total of 11 US states have also joined the government in the lawsuit.

It comes after repeated threats against Google from the Trump administration.

Google is currently worth $1.04trillion on the stock marketCredit: Unsplash

A top economic adviser to President Trump said two years ago that the White House was considering whether Google searches should be subject to government regulation.

Trump has also recycled unfounded claims that Google is biased against conservatives, interferes in elections and prefers working with the Chinese military over the Pentagon.

The internet company does control about 90 per cent of global web searches.

It has been bracing for the government’s action and is expected to fiercely oppose any attempt to force it to spin off its services into separate businesses.

The company, based in Mountain View, California, has denied claims of unfair competition.

Google argues that although its businesses are large, they are useful and beneficial to consumers and maintains that its services face ample competition.

But a recent report from US lawmakers, following a year-long investigation into Big Tech’s market dominance, concluded that Google has monopoly power in the market for search.

It said the company established its position in several markets through acquisition – snapping up successful technologies that other businesses had developed.

It has bought an estimated 260 companies in 20 years.

The argument for reining in Google has gathered force as the company stretched far beyond its 1998 roots as a search engine governed by the motto ‘Don’t Be Evil’.

It’s since grown into a diversified goliath with online tentacles that scoop up personal data from billions of people via services ranging from search, video and maps to smartphone software.

The company owns the leading web browser, Chrome, the largest smartphone operating system, Android, the top video site, YouTube, and the most popular digital mapping system.

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