News of Google's $5.1 billion antitrust
fine in Europe has spurred Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley to expand his investigation into whether the company violated state antitrust and consumer protection laws.
“If the
European Commission’s allegations are true, Google’s conduct may have violated both federal and state antitrust laws,” Hawley said Wednesday in a statement. “Google’s
alleged conduct does not merely undermine free and efficient markets; it undermines fundamental consumer privacy interests by excluding companies that would compete with Google by providing greater
protections for users’ personal information.”
Hawley, who is running for a seat in the U.S. Senate, said he has served Google with a subpoena relating to allegations that the
company "took improper steps to enhance its market power."
Last week, EU regulators said Google violated European antitrust law by requiring Android manufacturers to configure smartphones and
tablets in ways that favor the Google services. The company required manufacturers to install the Chrome browser and set Google as the default search engine on Android devices, according to the EU
authorities.
Consumers who use Android devices can install other browsers, and can select other search engines. But the EU found that Google's bundling requirements helped solidify its
dominance.
Google has said it plans to appeal the decision.
Federal Trade Commission Chairman Joseph Simons said at a House hearing last week that he was interested in the EU's action, but also noted that
Europe's approach to antitrust differed from the approach in the U.S. He added that In Europe, authorities can take action after they find a company is "dominant," but in the U.S., there also must be
a harm to consumer welfare.
The FTC previously investigated whether Google violated antitrust law by promoting its own services in the search results, but closed the probe in 2013 without
bringing charges. Former Chairman Jon Leibowitz said at the time the agency found that Google's primary reason for touting its own offerings in the search results was "to improve the user
experience."
In Missouri, Hawley said last November that he was
investigating whether Google's privacy policy adequately discloses its data-mining practices, as well as whether the company discriminates against competitors in the search results.