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David Versus Google
A coalition of 38 states has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google. Is it too late to tame tech’s Goliath?
A coalition of 38 states, led by Colorado, filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google on Thursday. The lawsuit alleges that the search engine giant has an illegal monopoly over the online search market which hurts consumers and advertisers.
The lawsuit is the third antitrust suit hitting Google in the span of a few months, and comes a day after another group of states, led by Texas, filed a separate antitrust suit focused on Google’s digital advertising empire.
In October, the Department of Justice announced a suit accusing the company of various anticompetitive practices, alleging that such practices have allowed Google to unlawfully preserve monopolies through operations and advertising agreements. Excluding Alabama, every state in the U.S. has now joined some sort of major legal effort targeting Google.
The latest suit accuses the internet giant of abusing its position as the dominant search engine to eliminate competition through anti-competitive contracts and conduct. It alleges that Google’s position allows it to limit consumers from using different search engines; forces businesses to use its advertising tools; and shuts out competitors who specialize in specific areas.