On Friday, December 11, California filed court papers seeking to join the Justice Department’s (DOJ) antitrust lawsuit against Google, reported the Wall Street Journal.
The DOJ and a group of 11 state attorneys general, all Republicans, filed the case in October 20, alleging Google uses anticompetitive tactics to preserve a monopoly for its flagship search engine and related advertising business.
“People use Google because they choose to, not because they’re forced to, or because they can’t find alternatives,” a Google spokeswoman said Friday. “We’re confident in our position and we’ll continue to make our case in court.”
California would be the first Democratic-led state to join the case. Mr. Becerra’s move could help placate Republican critics as he seeks confirmation next year as President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee to be secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Some Republicans have griped privately about the lack of participation in the Justice Department’s Google case by Democratic attorneys general prior to the November 3 presidential election, saying it appears they didn’t want to support an initiative by a Republican-led Justice Department.
In a statement, Mr. Becerra said Google’s market dominance “leaves consumers and small businesses with little choice when it comes to internet search engines.
“This lawsuit paves the way for search engine innovation with greater regard for privacy and data protection.”
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