By Diane Bartz
WASHINGTON, Feb 3 (Reuters) – Justice Department officials will meet on Tuesday with representatives of state attorneys general to discuss their investigations of search and advertising giant Google, according to sources familiar with the plans.
The meeting is in the afternoon, according to one source, and will include officials from six or seven states, including Texas, according to a second source familiar with the matter.
The Justice Department and nearly all state attorneys general have opened investigations into allegations that Alphabet’s Google has broken antitrust law. The probes focus on search bias, advertising and management of Google’s Android operating system.
Google, Facebook, Amazon and Apple are all the focus of federal, state and congressional investigations following complaints that the four tech giants abused their clout in dealings with smaller companies.
The probes are being carried out by the Justice Department, the Federal Trade Commission, state attorneys general and the House Judiciary Committee. U.S. Attorney General William Barr has said he would like to see them wrapped up this year.
The companies have come under fire from all parts of the political spectrum, with President Donald Trump critical of the companies and Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders calling for the break-up of Amazon and Facebook. (Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
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