The U.S. government has filed a lawsuit against Google, claiming the company has stifled competition to maintain its monopoly on online search and advertising.
The suit is considered to be the largest ever filed by a U.S. regulator against a technology company for more than two decades.
This was done after several years of investigation. The summons was filed in the Federal Court by the Department of Justice (DoJ) and 11 other states.
The 11 states involved are Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, South Carolina, and Texas.
It focuses on the billions of dollars Google makes every year to make sure its search engine is ranked as the top choice. This move allows Google to control 80 percent of online searches in the US.
Several other states have also launched investigations into similar allegations.
In its reaction, Google insists the Department of Justice has no strong case against them. The company maintains it adheres to regulation in full competition.
This is not the first time Google has faced a similar civil case. It is currently in the process of appealing a fine of ASD9 billion. This includes allegations of using Android software to promote its applications unfairly and to block advertisements from competing companies.
Source: CNN, Google, The Guardian