By Anshia Dutta
Missouris attorney general, Josh Hawley said on November 13, 2017, that he has issued an investigative subpoena against Google since he wants to know how Google handles user data, whether it has mishandled private customer data in the past and has manipulated its search results to favour its own products. In a statement on Monday, Hawley said, There is a strong reason to believe that Google has not been acting in the best interest of Missourians in mind.”
Hawley’s investigation
Hawleys investigation will specifically aim to find out Googles collection, use, and disclosure of information about its users and their online activities, Googles alleged misappropriation of online content from the websites of its competitors and lastly, Googles alleged manipulation of search results to favour websites owned by Google and to demote websites of its competitors
Josh Hawley said in a news conference, No entity in the history of the world has collected as much information on individual consumers as Google. We should not just accept the word of these corporate giants that they have our best interests at heart. We need to make sure that they are actually following the law, we need to make sure that consumers are protected, and we need to hold them accountable.
Google gets flak
For a couple of years now, Yelp has accused Google of giving its own reviews a high position in search results, to the detriment of sites like Yelp and TripAdvisor that have better reviews. Back in 2013, Federal regulators in the United States (US) investigated the tech giant over anti-trust claims but Google settled with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) under former President Barack Obama. It agreed to stop using photographs or user reviews from third-party sites and was essentially given a free pass. The attorneys general of Utah later urged the FTC to reopen its investigation but the agency refused to do so.
Similarly, in June 2017, the European antitrust regulators slapped a fine of $2.7 billion against Google. A preliminary investigation has revealed that Google has not been accurately disclosing how much data it collects about its users and that people dont have an option to opt out of Googles data collection. However, Google spokesman Patrick Lenihan said, “We have strong privacy protections in place for our users and continue to operate in a highly competitive and dynamic environment.”
Potential course of action
With heightened concerns from both Democrats and Republicans, Silicon Valley is navigating a political reckoning of sorts. Tech companies are now facing the possibility of new, sweeping regulations that would implicate key areas of their businesses, including requirements to disclose information about online advertising and obligations to better user-generated content.
With Hawley having announced his candidacy for the US Senate, Google might be in danger. If he is elected as the next Republican president, he is likely to have a bench of experienced Republican antitrust lawyers monitor Googles activities and see that all the regulations are complied with.
Featured Image Credits: surrealpenguin on Visual hunt / CC BY-SA