The U.S. Justice Department and State Attorneys General are reportedly set to discuss a potential consolidation of their respective probes on Google. A report from The Wall Street Journal claims the two government parties will meet in a few days to share information on their investigations.
Citing people familiar with the situation, the report says the meeting will mark the beginning of a "periodic dialogue" before a more formal cooperation takes place during the course of investigations. At least seven attorneys general are believed to be joining the meeting, led by Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general.
The meeting will likely tackle issues related to Google"s dominance in the online advertising industry and online search. Additionally, its dominant position in mobile operating system, courtesy of Android, could also be on the agenda. The regulators may also discuss the breadth of the investigation and each party"s jurisdiction for that effort, the report says.
Google"s market dominance has been the focus of previous separate government investigations over the past few years. State attorneys, for example, launched an antitrust probe on Google in September 2019. A few months prior, the DoJ also initiated its own investigation into Google, among other big tech firms.
Source: The Wall Street Journal