Texas AG: States To File Google Suits In “Weeks”

Additional states could bring more antitrust lawsuits against Google, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said during a Tuesday, December 8, panel discussion with global competition officials, Bloomberg reported.

Paxton, who initiated a 48-state investigation into the search giant last year, said the additional lawsuits could be filed “in the upcoming weeks and months,” according to Bloomberg. He added that there are currently several states looking into antitrust issues concerning the Alphabet-owned firm’s search function.

An antitrust complaint was filed against Google in October by the Department of Justice (DOJ), Paxton, and 10 other Republican state attorneys general. Paxton’s office also is looking into Google’s online advertising practices.

Facebook also will soon face lawsuits brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and an alliance of states, according to Bloomberg.

Federal Trade Commission Commissioner Rohit Chopra also spoke at the conference and said antitrust regulators should rebuff Facebook’s position, Bloomberg reported. The social media giant maintains that Chinese tech giants will be the only beneficiaries from enforcement against US tech firms. “I think this is a deeply dangerous argument,” Chopra said, per Bloomberg.