Google May Face Investigation Over Antitrust, Privacy Issues
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A small group of state attorneys general is looking into whether Google has violated antitrust or consumer protection regulations, Bloomberg reported Friday, citing unnamed sources. However, it’s unclear if their preliminary investigation will lead to legal action.
Google didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment but told Bloomberg that privacy and security are built into its products.
“We will continue to work with state attorney generals on policy issues,” a Google spokeswoman told Bloomberg.
Last September, former US Attorney General Jeff Sessions met with state attorneys general to discuss whether Google and Facebook might be suppressing conservative views, according to Bloomberg. After the meeting, state officials reportedly formed a task force to look into problems in the tech industry. However, once Sessions stepped down from office in November, their plan to follow up with the Justice Department was shelved.
In February, President Donald Trump signaled that he’s open to investigating big tech companies by his Federal Trade Commission leadership choice. The FTC wrapped up a two-year investigation into Google in 2013 that accused the tech giant of biased search results. At the time, the FTC decided unanimously that Google wasn’t violating any antitrust laws.
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