The DOJ just dropped a bombshell antitrust case against Google
On Tuesday, the U.S. Justice Department dropped an antitrust case of significance not seen since its case against Microsoft over 20 years ago.
Alongside 11 states, the DOJ alleges that Alphabet’s Google used its dominance in online search to quash competition and spent billions to make itself the default engine on browsers.
“For many years, Google has used anticompetitive tactics to maintain and extend its monopolies in the markets for general search services, search advertising, and general search text advertising—the cornerstones of its empire,” the lawsuit reads.
In response, Google called the lawsuit “deeply flawed.”
“People use Google because they choose to—not because they’re forced to or because they can’t find alternatives,” a spokesperson said via email, adding that a more comprehensive statement is forthcoming.
“We’re pleased the DOJ has taken this key step in holding Google accountable for the ways it has blocked competition, locked people into using its products, and achieved a market position so dominant they refuse to even talk about it out loud,” CEO and founder of Google competitor DuckDuckGo, Gabriel Weinberg, tweeted regarding the news.
The European Union has also fined Google billions in recent years for anti-competitive behavior, such as favoring its own shopping business over others on its platform. Alphabet still awaits approval from E.U. regulators over its $2.1 billion bid for Fitbit.
And beyond Alphabet, the DOJ case will be heavily watched as other tech giants—Facebook, Apple, and Amazon—also face the harsh limelight of antitrust scrutiny.
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Lucinda Shen
Twitter: @shenlucinda
Email: lucinda.shen@fortune.com
