DOJ moves forward on yet another Google antitrust case, over Google Maps
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The Justice Dept. is reportedly pressing forward with a probe of Google Maps (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL), in what would be an unprecedented third antitrust case against a single company.
The government has been meeting with competitors and customers of Google to build a witness list for a potential lawsuit taking on the company's position in location information, Politico reported, noting more meetings ahead.
That could lead to a lawsuit focused on Google Maps this year, according to the report. That would add to what is looking like full-on antitrust war, after the DOJ and state attorneys general sued Google in 2020 over monopolizing online search, and a new case this year targeting online advertising.
In the crosshairs is whether Google illegally forces app developers to use its mapping and search as a bundle, rather than allowing them to use competing options for different services.
The government is also examining Google's Automotive Services offering that bundles maps with the Google Play store and the Google Assistant.
For its part, Google says customers choose Google Maps Platform due to high quality, and they're "free to use other mapping services in addition to Google Maps Platform â and many do.â