(TheLibertyRevolution.com)- The Department of Justice is reportedly planning on charging tech giant Google over violations of antitrust laws relating to its gigantic monopoly on the online search industry. According to Axios, insiders believe that the Department of Justice will move forward with charging Google potentially next week.
It would be one of the first major steps taken by the Department of Justice under the Trump administration to break up Big Tech.
According to insiders, the imminent suit will focus on Google’s monopolistic behavior and could even have an impact on the advertising business. The Justice Department has been investigating Big Tech for some time now. Hearings were also held recently on anti-trust matters.
One possible proposal that is reportedly being discussed by the Justice Department is making Google sell its web browser, Chrome.
If the suit goes ahead, it may surprise many in the tech industry who thought that the tech CEOs had survived the antitrust hearings. Some experts, however, warned this summer that the hearings were merely a “preview” of what will “likely become a bigger topic in the years to come.”
As tech companies like Google grow bigger, their ability to monopolize entire industries grow too. Apple runs one of the biggest mobile app stores on the planet and currently stops apps with competing mobile gaming streaming platforms from running on that app store. Google has its Chrome web browser that is used by Mac and Windows users alike, and Microsoft has control over the PC market thanks to its hugely popular Windows operating system.
A report from Democratic Congressional lawmakers recently determined that big tech companies like Google, Facebook, Apple, and Amazon behave in anti-competitive behavior and that new legislation might be required to stop them.
“To put it simply, companies that once were scrappy, underdog startups that challenged the status quo have become the kinds of monopolies we last saw in the era of oil barons and railroad tycoons,” the report reads.
Over 400 pages, the report, which was mostly written by Democrats, suggests that investigations should go ahead to determine whether Big Tech abuses its power.
We might soon find out.
