US DOJ Speeds Up Google Maps Antitrust Probe

The U.S. Justice Department has accelerated an Alphabet Inc GOOG GOOGL Google Maps investigation, Reuters reports.
The DOJ looked to determine if bundling the service with other Google software illegally stifled competition.
The DOJ first highlighted the probe in late 2020. It had been silent until recent months before making inquiries again.
The probe focused on apps, including navigation provided through infotainment screens in vehicles.
Google Automotive Services package for automakers bundled Maps, the Google Play app store, Google Assistant, and other services.
Car companies are prohibited from mixing Google Maps with voice assistants developed by smaller rivals in its Google Automotive Services package. The probe also targeted app and website developers.
The DOJ probed Google's requirement that if a website or app used one Google technology, like Google's location search, the website or app developer could not use maps or other technologies developed by Google's rivals.
A congressional antitrust panel previously concluded that Google effectively forced developers to choose whether they would use all of Google's mapping services or none of them.
Google argued that its policies prevented poor experience and stemmed from its partners' restrictions.
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