Utah | July 9, 2021
36 States Sue Google over Alleged Anticompetitive Practices in Play Store
Utah | July 9, 2021
State attorneys general of 36 states and the District of Columbia filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google on Wednesday alleging the company engaged in anticompetitive practices in its Play Store for Android.
The complaint argues Google holds and unlawfully maintains a monopoly in the market of “Android app distribution,” using anticompetitive tactics such as blocking competitors from accessing the Play Store, discouraging the creation of competing app stores, and acquiring smaller app developers. The complaint also alleges Google charges app developers up to a 30% commission when customers purchase their products through the Google Play Store.
“Google has taken steps to close the ecosystem from competition and insert itself as the middleman between app developers and consumers,” the plaintiffs argue.
The plaintiffs claim that Google’s size and anticompetitive tactics have made it so app developers have no choice but to use Google’s software, which puts developers at the mercy of Google’s policies and fees.
“Google Play Store distributes over 90% of all Android apps in the United States. No competing Android app store has more than 5% of the market,” the complaint reads.
The complaint also argues that Google’s practices harm consumers. The plaintiffs claim the tech giant’s policy requiring all Play Store apps sell digital in-app content through Google’s billing service creates a monopoly on in-app payment processing, which the company can then abuse…
(Excerpts from the Virginia Star)
Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming | May 17, 2021
Enough! State Attorneys General URGE Facebook to Scrap Instagram for Kids
Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming | May 17, 2021
The National Association of Attorneys General had to urge Facebook to drop a potentially “harmful” project targeted at kids. Apparently, Facebook needs to be encouraged to protect children online.
Attorneys general from 44 states and territories sent a letter to Facebook Chief Executive Officer and founder Mark Zuckerberg. The Attorneys General urged Zuckerberg to scrap plans to develop an Instagram platform for children under the age of 13. Facebook is the parent company of Instagram. ..
(Excerpts from MRC News)