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S.C. attorney general joins investigation into Google

Staff Report //September 10, 2019//

S.C. attorney general joins investigation into Google

Staff Report //September 10, 2019//

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S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson has joined attorneys general from all 50 states in an antitrust investigation into Google.

The coalition will investigate whether Google’s control of online advertising markets and search traffic led to anticompetitive behavior, according to a news release from Wilson’s office.

Legal experts from each state will work with federal authorities to review competitive conditions for online services. Past investigations of Google uncovered violations ranging from advertising illegal drugs in the U.S. to three antitrust actions brought by the European Commission, the release said. South Carolina was not involved in the previous investigations.

None of the previous investigations addressed the source of Google’s sustained market power and its business practices, Wilson’s office said.

“No company, no matter how big and powerful, is above the law. Every citizen has the right to the protection of his or her privacy, even from internet giants,” Wilson said.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is leading the multistate investigation.

“Now, more than ever, information is power, and the most important source of information in Americans’ day-to-day lives is the internet,” Paxton said. “There is nothing wrong with a business becoming the biggest game in town if it does so through free market competition, but we have seen evidence that Google’s business practices may have undermined consumer choice, stifled innovation, violated users’ privacy and put Google in control of the flow and dissemination of information.”

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