The US Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google on Tuesday, taking aim at its search and search-advertising businesses, according to a justice department official.
The lawsuit marks the most high-profile antitrust action taken by the US government since its battle with Microsoft in the 1990s. It comes as bipartisan scepticism of technology giants has taken hold in Washington.
Full details of the lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in Washington, were not immediately available. The justice department is joined in the lawsuit by 11 state attorneys-general, according to the docket in the case.
Jeffrey Rosen, the deputy attorney-general, is set to hold a briefing on “an antitrust announcement” on Tuesday.
The lawsuit will not specify at the outset how the alleged harms should be remedied, according to the official. The Wall Street Journal first reported the impending action. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2020
