DOJ is equipping to sue Google for antitrust crimes relating to its advertising technology business' competition restriction, which could result in another legal conflict.
DOJ's Antitrust Claims Against Google Might Spark Another Legal Battle
Bloomberg reports that the U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust accusations against Google's ad tech company might result in yet another judicial dispute.
According to reports, the DOJ is getting ready to sue Google again for antitrust violations related to claims that its advertising technology division is restricting competition.
The Google ad tech platform is a market for buying and selling advertising on websites and mobile applications. But since it controls the market, it has been under investigation lately. As a result, officials will likely revoke the search engine giant's prior concessions to avoid a legal dispute.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday (July 8), citing individuals familiar with the situation, that Alphabet Inc.'s Google has provided concessions to prevent this U.S. antitrust lawsuit accusing the firm of abusing its weight in the advertising technology industry.
Google said earlier this week to Android Central that it has been collaborating with authorities to alleviate their worries. A corporate spokesman insisted that Google had no intentions to divest itself of its troubled advertising division.
The antitrust case might be filed soon. If granted, Google will face another antitrust complaint. Additionally, the Competition and Markets Authority is investigating whether Google unlawfully blocks external ad servers.
EU Consumer Groups Protested Google's Sign-up Methods
Last month, European Consumer Organization (BEUC), a consumer rights organization in Europe, filed a wave of privacy complaints against Google, charging the advertising behemoth with misleading account creation design that they claim leads users to consent to intrusive and excessive data processing.
Google seems to depend on user permission as its legal justification for profiling account users for ad targeting reasons.
The GDPR regulations in Europe are meant to make it simple for users to choose privacy-protecting settings. Still, according to the complaint, Google allegedly breaks this guideline when you establish an account. Additionally, it highlights that Android users must have a Google account to download programs from Google Play.
BEUC also pointed out that the Irish Data Protection Commissioner in charge has yet to issue a ruling three years after initially complaining about Google's location-tracking policies. Ten consumer organizations have now grouped themselves under the BEUC and complained to France, Norway, Greece, and other EU members.
Moreover, BEUC claimed Google's practices haven't altered since its complaint. "We need immediate action from the authorities because a major player disregarding GDPR is unacceptable," said its deputy director Ursula Pachl.
Pachl added that this case is crucial, hence the European Data Protection Board must facilitate collaboration among EU data protection agencies. Google already saw the wrath of the EU in 2018 as it was fined $5 billion for its app and browser selection policies.
