State attorneys general will meet with US Justice Department attorneys next week to share information on their respective probes of Alphabet’s Google unit, a step that could eventually lead to both groups joining forces, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The meeting is seen as the start of a periodic dialogue that could expand into more formal cooperation as the probes continue, the people said.
To date, federal and state authorities involved in the probe haven’t shared investigative materials about their concurrent probes of Google, some of the people said.
At least seven state attorneys general who are part of the investigation have been invited to the meeting, one of the people said. The group—comprising the executive committee of the states’ investigation into Google—is led by Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general.
The state and federal investigations have given considerable focus to Google’s powerful position in the lucrative market for online advertising. The company’s dominant position in online search and possible anticompetitive behavior by Google in its Android mobile operating system have also drawn scrutiny, according to the people familiar with the matter.
The planned meeting is likely to include discussions on those issues, the scope of the probes and the best division of labor as the investigations move forward, reported The Journal.
Full Content: Wall Street Journal
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