In this photo illustration a Google logo seen displayed on a smartphone with stock market percentages in the background. (Photo by Omar Marques / SOPA Images/Sipa USA)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department and eight states have filed an antitrust suit against Google, seeking to shatter its alleged monopoly on the entire ecosystem of online advertising as a hurtful burden to advertisers, consumers and even the U.S. government. The government alleges that Google’s plan to assert dominance has been to “neutralize or eliminate” rivals through acquisitions and to force advertisers to use its products by making it difficult to use competitors’ products. Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, says the suit “doubles down on a flawed argument that would slow innovation, raise advertising fees, and make it harder for thousands of small businesses and publishers to grow.”
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