US DOJ Rekindled Antitrust Investigation In Google Maps: Report

The U.S. Justice Department probed Alphabet Inc GOOG GOOGL Google’s supremacy in mapping, resurrecting a thread of its long-running antitrust investigation into the firm.
The probe focused on how Google bundled its services, leading to a new antitrust complaint, Bloomberg reports citing familiar sources.
Department lawyers sought information and reinterviewed potential witnesses.
Google’s terms of service require developers to use its maps and search products together, limiting the prospects of rival mapping services.
Rivals have complained that the restrictions could impair innovation in several emerging fields, like drones, delivery and logistics, and electric and autonomous vehicles.
The DOJ began investigating Google in 2019 and has filed two antitrust complaints focused on its search and advertising technology business.
The agency sought information from the company about mapping as part of the search case. However, it filed a narrow antitrust complaint focusing on Google’s contracts with browsers and smartphone makers that require them to set its search engine as the default.
State attorneys general conducted their investigations and filed three separate complaints against Google related to search, advertising technology, and the tech giant’s control over apps downloaded on Android smartphones and devices.
Price Action: GOOG shares traded higher by 0.54% at $92.30 in the premarket on the last check Thursday.
Photo by Henry perks via Unsplash

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