https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-states-file-updated-antitrust-complaint-against-alphabets-google-2021-11-13/

 
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November 13, 20216:01 PM UTCLast Updated ago
United States

U.S. states file updated antitrust complaint against Alphabet's
Google

By Chris Prentice

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2 minute read
The logo of Google is seen in Davos, Switzerland January 20, 2020.
2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo

The logo of Google is seen in Davos, Switzerland January 20, 2020.
2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo

WASHINGTON, Nov 13 (Reuters) - A group of U.S. states led by Texas
have filed an amended complaint against Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O)
Google accusing the tech giant of using coercive tactics and breaking
antitrust laws in its efforts to boost its already dominant
advertising business.

The updated allegations are the latest in an onslaught of regulatory
scrutiny of Google over its practices. The tech company faces several
lawsuits, including one by the Justice Department for monopolistic
practices. read more

Earlier this week, Google lost an appeal against a $2.8 billion
European Union antitrust decision. read more

The amended U.S. lawsuit, filed in a federal court in New York late
Friday, accuses Google of using monopolistic and coercive tactics
with advertisers in its efforts to dominate and drive out competition
in online advertising.

The lawsuit also highlights Google's use of a secret program dubbed
"Project Bernanke" in 2013 that used bidding data to give its own
ad-buying an advantage. For example, in a 2015 iteration of the
program, Google allegedly dropped the second-highest bids from
publishers' auctions, accumulated money into a pool and then spent
that money to inflate only the bids belonging advertisers who used
the company's Google Ads. They otherwise would have likely lost the
auctions, the states alleged.

Neither Alphabet nor the Texas Attorney General's office responded
immediately to requests for comment on the lawsuit.

Reporting by Chris Prentice Additional reporting by Diane Bartz;
Editing by Lisa Shumaker

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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