Google Agrees to Pay $118 Million to Settle Pay Discrimination Case
New York TimesNov 25, 2022
Report: US DOJ Prepping Anti-Trust Lawsuit Against Google
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Image copyright: Getty Images [via NY Post]
The Facts
The US Dept. of Justice (DOJ) is reportedly expected to file an antitrust lawsuit against Alphabet Inc.'s Google in the coming weeks over its dominance in the online advertising market.
The DOJ has allegedly been investigating Google's ad-tech practices since 2019 and has recently expedited the inquiry, with sources familiar with the matter saying the newest suit could come as soon as next month.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Google is using its market power to crush competition and impede innovation. For far too long Big Tech companies have had vast amounts of unchecked power and influence. Even if this lawsuit is unsuccessful, it's still a step in the right direction toward challenging the power of Big Tech.
Establishment-critical narrative
Although Google dominates web search-based ads, it doesn't have a monopoly on the digital ad market; it actually faces stiff competition from other tech firms. To meaningfully increase competition as the DOJ seemingly seeks to do, Google would have to be broken into fragments, which would hinder technology and inconvenience users.
