Google’s Provides Data in U.S. Antitrust Case

Mar, 2021 - By WMR

The US government has demanded full information about how Google's search engine operates and makes money in order to demonstrate that the business is a monopoly.

According to a legal filing on January 2021, several state general and the US Department of Justice are investigating comparative data on US search results and related advertising from February 2, 2015 to February 8, 2015, and February 3, 2020 to February 9, 2020. The Alphabet unit has been asked to share information about how and where users searched during those hours, as well as the quantity of various types of advertising, revenue from those advertisements, and the underlying bids for those advertisements, among other items. The government has given the company 30 days to provide the details. The Justice department wants to analyze how Google has presented advertisements and search results six years ago versus one year ago. This could help the government in evaluating how Google's grasp on the search market has changed over time. The suit was initially filed by the Justice Department, which was headed by former US President Donald Trump, and 11 Republican attorneys general. Since then, three more states have entered, including California, which is home to Google's headquarters. The government is moving forward under a new administration headed by Democrat Joe Biden, as demonstrated by the current data request.

The government also demanded communications about the company's market share, relationship with Apple, and competition between Google and Apple's computer operating systems, and the DOJ and Google have sparred in court over proof discovery in the case. Google also stated that U.S. government’s demands are too large. The US report claims that Google's exclusive distribution agreements for its search engine on browsers and tablets, including Apple's iPhones, violates the Sherman Act's anti-monopoly ban. It's the most important monopoly case in the United States after the one against Microsoft. Google has clarified that its agreements do not prohibit users from moving to another search engine. The organization believes that superior technology is the secret to its growth.