Indiana joins 36 states in lawsuit against Google | State

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(The Center Square) Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita said he joined the attorneys general of three dozen other states in a federal lawsuit against Google, arguing that the tech giant uses monopolistic practices to prevent competition.

An investigation joined by 37 state attorneys general revealed that Google is abusing its market control in the digital economy via Google Play, an app store pre-installed on nearly every Android device, Rokita said in a statement. Through contractual restrictions, technical barriers and deceptions, Google inhibits competition by hindering reasonable alternative methods of downloading apps.

In-app purchases through Google require the use of their payment processing service, which has a 30% fee.

This is another example of a large tech company harming Hoosiers through unfair practices, Rokita said. All companies certainly have the right to seek competitive advantages and maximize their profits, but in pursuing these objectives they must also comply with antitrust laws and consumer protection statutes. Competition is an important part of our economy that protects consumers.

Also participating in the cause are Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico , New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia.

Rokita also said it launched an investigation in April into the censorship practices of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Twitter. Former President Donald Trump filed a class action on the matter last week.

For its part, Google dismissed the lawsuit as unfounded in a statement.

This lawsuit is not about child aid or consumer protection, the company said. It’s about empowering a handful of major app developers who want the benefits of Google Play without paying for them.

Google also said that the changes requested by the plaintiffs risk increasing costs for small developers, impeding their ability to innovate and compete, making apps in the Android ecosystem less safe for consumers.

A Washington state federal judge previously filed an antitrust lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission against Google, saying the agency had not presented sufficient evidence that the company qualifies as a monopoly.

Google is also facing three other similar lawsuits, including one filed by the Justice Department and 14 states claiming the company dominates the mobile search market.

Some 38 states have also filed a separate lawsuit over the same issue, and another 15 states have filed lawsuits regarding Google’s dominance in advertising technology.

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