Google is the most successful tech company in history. The company currently controls virtually more than half of the US businesses, as search rankings determine the amount of business an organization will experience. Google also accounts for about 90% of America's search results, potentially being the gatekeeper of the Internet.

However, some influential people have raised concerns about Google's censoring policy, which hinders fair competition among its competitors.

As a result, the US Justice Department sued Google on October 20, 2020, for monopolizing search engine advertising.

The Lawsuit

US Attorney General William Barr presided over the US Justice Department lawsuit against Google. He claimed that Google was the Internet's gatekeeper and was using uncompetitive means to control the competition and promote some monopolies. The argument is built around the allegation that Google is censoring speech, promoting the spread of fake news, and transforming the American economy negatively.

The lawsuit represented Attorney Generals from 12 states, including Georgia, Arkansas, Missouri, Indiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Montana, Louisiana, Texas, Kentucky, and Florida.

Lawyers argued that Google was also at the front of criticizing Microsoft for uncompetitive practices but was doing the same thing. Google was accused of using similar uncompetitive practices as Microsoft in 1998 and AT&T in 1974. However, Google professional teams are trained to avoid words like "to crash" or "kill" competition to avoid sounding like Microsoft.

Lawyers also claim that Google prevents users from accessing other search engines without setting Google as the default browser engine.

Donald Trump, Billy Sanders, and other conservative politicians rallied behind the US Justice Department's decision to sue Google on the claims that the company is "too powerful."

This is not Google's first time with a lawsuit. The European regulators sued the company in 2018 for similar reasons, resulting in a $9 billion fine for Google.  

Google's Response

However, Google has not gone down without a fight. Through their public policy Twitter account, the stakeholders argue that people use Google voluntarily and are not being forced. Experts say the Google lawsuit may go on for decades because Google has an extensive revenue reserve and support from Washington.

The US Justice Department's lawsuit against Google will take a while before resolution. Google is said to have deep political ties in Washington and a surprising $120 billion in its coffers.