Google moving ‘full steam ahead’ to cement search monopoly even after DOJ trial began: watchdog letter
NY Post
Google has lately taken “several brazen high-profile actions” to expand the monopoly of its search engine – thumbing its nose at regulators even after its landmark antitrust trial with the Justice Department began last fall, watchdog groups warned in a Tuesday letter to the feds.
The letter, which was sent to FTC chief Lina Khan and the DOJ’s top antitrust lawyer Jonathan Kanter and obtained exclusively by The Post, asserted that Google is still moving “full steam ahead” with anticompetitive practices despite the regulatory crackdown to date and the DOJ’s effort to expose its shady tactics during the “historic” search trial.
Several prominent anti-monopoly organizations – including Demand Progress, the Revolving Door Project, Fight for the Future and the Tech Oversight Project — were among the 15 groups that urged a coordinated crackdown on the corporate giant.
“Google’s ongoing efforts to entrench its monopoly position in search — and exclude or buy off potential rivals — demonstrate that even the DOJ’s lawsuit and heightened regulatory scrutiny abroad have not deterred the company,” the letter said.
The letter points to three separate recent developments, including a reported partnership to embed Google search results within TikTok.
The tie-up surfaced last September in the midst of the DOJ’s antitrust trial, where lawyers were laying out their argument that Google has relied on such deals to stifle potential competition.
