Surprise? DoJ Charges Google with AntiTrust Lawsuit

[Milchshake]

Factcheckers said that dear leader was "just kidding" about talking about extorting Exxon outloud. Looks like a setup for a larger play.

Justice Department Charges Google in Antitrust Lawsuit
The Justice Department filed a long-awaited antitrust lawsuit Tuesday alleging that Google uses anticompetitive tactics to preserve a monopoly for its flagship search engine and related advertising business, illegally choking off potential competition.

Barr recently directed staffers to accelerate release of the charges. They worried the department hadn't yet built an airtight case and feared this was done to influence the election.

[Machismo]

This is an attempt by the Trump administration to stifle corporations that don't cower to them, attack the free markets, and limit their liberties.

I look forward to all the Trumpsters condemning this immediately.

[Elegiac]

Something something "the worst person you know just made a good point" re Barr.

Google is a monopoly tbh and it's past time they were looked at with a serious eye of being broken up. Split the search engine, email, YouTube etc. into separate companies.

[Belize]

Economists like Scott Galloway have been calling for this for god knows how many years now.

[TwistedSkull]

Agreed.

But splitting up the services into separate companies wouldn't solve the issue, Google, Youtube, etc would still be monopolies each on their own (if you consider the more modern definition of monopolies to exist once a service reaches a critical mass in the market share at least).

While i agree. Breaking them into even smaller pieces would that not ruin those services?

[Low Hanging Fruit]

While i agree. Breaking them into even smaller pieces would that not ruin those services?

At first for sure. But long term it could make them better. No way to really know though. It is more just a political ploy to make a ruckus before the election by a desperate administration to do anything to change the narrative off a covid-19 surge they are trying to pretend isn't happening. If either side wins it will go next go nowhere more than likely. As in just slid under the desk and forgotten.

[Breccia]

This is an attempt by the Trump administration to stifle corporations that don't cower to them

The timing of this couldn't be worse. There are zero to negative reasons for Google not to go full petty and shunt Trump ads to the trash folder, try to get Biden elected, and then hope Biden forgets to prosecute them.

Oh, that'd be evil to illegal, but they're being threatened anyhow so at this point, why not? What's the FEC going to do, Trump crippled them.

[Elegiac]

Oh, that'd be evil to illegal, but they're being threatened anyhow so at this point, why not? What's the FEC going to do, Trump crippled them.

Google: "Are you gonna cry about it to the heads of the FEC? Oh, wait, they don't exist."

[PACOX]

While i agree. Breaking them into even smaller pieces would that not ruin those services?

No exactly. ATT once owned every telecom line in the US until the government forced them to break. There were some shenanigans that took place and telecom US infrastructure is still 'just ok' at the consumer level outside of big markets but it still made the industry better.

Trump's DOJ isn't interested in actually doing it right or any good reason. It's all self serving and the results would reflect that. So in this instance it's a terrible idea.

[Kallisto]

Google is a monopoly?

Better tell the other search engines they don't exist and proving once again that Google is not one.

To be a monopoly you have to be the ONLY one doing what you do. Mono means 1 guys.

[Elegiac]

Google is a monopoly?

Better tell the other search engines they don't exist and proving once again that Google is not one.

To be a monopoly you have to be the ONLY one doing what you do. Mono means 1 guys.

Cool, they can continue to offer that search engine while its other services get sheared off and handed away.

[cubby]

The timing of this couldn't be worse. There are zero to negative reasons for Google not to go full petty and shunt Trump ads to the trash folder, try to get Biden elected, and then hope Biden forgets to prosecute them.

Oh, that'd be evil to illegal, but they're being threatened anyhow so at this point, why not? What's the FEC going to do, Trump crippled them.

Trump bought out the mast head ad space (am I getting that term correct?) for Election Day. I would like to see Youtube rescind that contract. It would be nice to start shitting all over Trump and make him sue to right the "wrong", rather than how it usually goes.

- - - Updated - - -

Google is a monopoly?

Better tell the other search engines they don't exist and proving once again that Google is not one.

To be a monopoly you have to be the ONLY one doing what you do. Mono means 1 guys.

That is not correct, whatsoever. Legally speaking monopoly is a complex term that has about twelve libraries full of case law and regulations.

[nonameelf]

Ok, I'm curious as to how they're going to stop Google from having a monopoly over a search engine. Are they going to like legally mandate that some people use Bing and Yahoo or something?

[Jotaux]

Can't they just contribute to the Trump campaign to make this go away?

[cubby]

Ok, I'm curious as to how they're going to stop Google from having a monopoly over a search engine. Are they going to like legally mandate that some people use Bing and Yahoo or something?

That issue, along with many others, are probably why the adults in the DoJ had yet to file the charges officially.

[Felya]

They are going to use the google + failure to fight this...

[Zan15]

Ok, I'm curious as to how they're going to stop Google from having a monopoly over a search engine. Are they going to like legally mandate that some people use Bing and Yahoo or something?

they didnt learn their lesson with microsoft. oh well more taxpayer money down the drain i guess

[PC2]

This is an attempt by the Trump administration to stifle corporations that don't cower to them, attack the free markets, and limit their liberties.

I look forward to all the Trumpsters condemning this immediately.

You keep confusing right wingers with libertarians. They're not always the same thing.

Personally I don't believe in this "antitrust" concept. Corporations can't be too big and powerful such that they should be split up. Their potential shouldn't be stifled because their potential should be infinite, imo.

[Rasulis]

Remind me of the 2000 Microsoft anti-trust lawsuit. Whatever happened to that one? Any concrete change after the 2001 settlement? Nah. Explorer (or Edge now) is still the dominant browser on desktop and laptop computers.

Who is the victim of Google's monopoly? Bing? Yahoo? DuckDuckGo? Ask? The advertisers?

[Machismo]

You keep confusing right wingers with libertarians. They're not always the same thing.

Personally I don't believe in this "antitrust" concept. Corporations can't be too big and powerful such that they should be split up. Their potential shouldn't be stifled because their potential should be infinite, imo.

Nah, you keep confusing conservatives and fascists.