Google Hit With Another Lawsuit Challenging Its Dominance

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Emily Moxley, Director of Product for Search, speaks during a demostration of Google’s newest search features at an event in 2018. Google was sued for the third time in two months on Thursday over its dominance in search and search advertising.

Amy Osborne/AFP via Getty Images

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Amy Osborne/AFP via Getty Images

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Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It has previously said it faces plenty of competition and that people use it products and services because they want to, not because of a lack of alternatives.

The latest lawsuit accusses Google of giving its own products priority in search results over rivals that offer competing search services in specialized areas, such as Yelp’s local reviews and Tripadvisor’s travel listings.

And it accuses Google of giving itself an unfair advantage over rival search engines, such as Microsoft’s Bing, in the ads that appear in search results.

Technology
Google Hit With 2nd Lawsuit Testing Its Monopoly Power — This One Over Digital Ads

The AGs also faulted Google for using its deep troves of data on people’s online activity to benefit its own massive advertising business, which pulled in almost $135 billion in revenue last year.

«It’s not [that] people use Google. Google uses people, said Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson.

Yelp, which has long complained about Google’s behavior, said it applauded the AGs’ move.

«We hope today’s action is the beginning of a return to a more vibrant and open internet, said Luther Lowe, head of public policy for Yelp, in a statement.

The AGs behind Thursday’s suit are asking for their complaint to be consolidated with the Justice Department’s suit and litigated together.

Separately, on Wednesday, 10 Republican state attorneys general filed a complaint taking aim at Google’s might in digital advertising technology.

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48 AGs, FTC Sue Facebook, Alleging Illegal Power Grabs To ‘Neutralize’ Rivals

The challenges against Google comes as other Big Tech companies come under legal scrutiny.

Earlier this month, the Federal Trade Commission and 48 attorneys general filed lawsuits against Facebook, accusing the social media giant of gobbling up competitive threats to extend its dominance in popular apps used by billions of people around the world.

Editor’s note: Google and Facebook are among NPR’s financial supporters.