WASHINGTON, D.C. —Consumer Reports released the following statements in response to the Department of Justice’s lawsuit against Google:
“The Justice Department had said it would take a closer look at Google, and now we’re seeing some action,” said George Slover, senior policy counsel at Consumer Reports. “We hope this is a sign that Justice is stepping up, and will now be keeping its eyes on the online marketplace. These powerful online platforms that connect us all on the internet must be held accountable, and competition must be protected, so that the marketplace works for consumers and for all who seek to reach them online. We’re concerned about the increasing power of a handful of dominant platforms like Google. These tech giants are gaining more control over the commerce and communications that are linked up through the internet, and people across the political spectrum are worried about it. “
Sumit Sharma, senior researcher for tech competition added, “We welcome the scrutiny of Google’s dominance in search and search advertising. The profits generated by this dominance have allowed Google to maintain its market power by paying to be the default search tool and leverage its market power into unrelated lines of business. This market power is evident in many interrelated ways. This level of power requires enforcement of market rules to make sure the public interest is the top priority in the market, rather than the dominant firm’s profits.”
Consumer Reports recently released a nationally representative survey that found clear majorities of consumers are aware of this growing platform power, are concerned about it, and support increased government action to address these concerns.
Media contact: Cyrus Rassool, cyrus.rassool@consumer.org