Google's antitrust battles: What you need to know Google's antitrust battles: What you need to know | | | | | | | | | | | Google's antitrust battles: What you need to know The search giant is headed for a historic showdown with the Department of Justice. The DOJ is just one of many t... | | | [partial quote follows] "What are the antitrust issues facing Google? Google's dominance in web search, digital advertising and smartphone software are the primary areas of interest to lawmakers and regulators. " "The company processes around 90% of all online searches in the US. That stranglehold is the foundation of Google's massive advertising business, which generates almost all of the company's $160 billion in annual sales. Google has been accused of hurting competitors by prioritizing its own products, like shopping ads or local business listings, over the listings of rivals in its search results. Critics also complain that the tech giant takes content from publishers and other websites and uses that information in prepared answers directly on Google's search engine, rather than simply providing a list of links that send users away to other sites. " "Google's ad business is also under a microscope because the company owns every step in a complicated system that connects ad sellers and buyers, which rivals say gives Google an unfair edge over the market. Much of the company's advertising prowess comes from acquisitions, including the 2008 buyout of the ad-tech firm DoubleClick." "The company also owns the Android operating system, the most popular mobile software in the world. Its dominance is hard to overstate; Android powers almost nine out of every 10 smartphones shipped globally. The tech giant has been accused of using that dominance to strong-arm partners to bundle Google's apps, like search and Maps, into their offerings. " "When is a DOJ lawsuit expected? The DOJ could file a lawsuit as soon as the end of the month, according to the Times report, but the exact timing isn't known. Attorney General Bill Barr and the 40 or so lawyers working on the case have disagreed over when it should be filed, the Times reported. " There's also an internal dispute at the DOJ over how broad the complaint should be. One team of lawyers is looking into Google's search business, while another is probing its advertising business, according to The Wall Street Journal. | | | | | | | | | | | WSJ News Exclusive | Justice Department Disagreement Arises Over Possibl... Brent Kendall Some Justice Department staffers have expressed internal concerns over plans to bring an antitrust lawsuit again... | | |