Officials from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) of EE. UU. concluded in 2012 that Google was anti-competitive practices and abusing its monopoly, so they recommended sue the technology giant, as revealed by the newspaper The Wall Street Journal.
The ‘Journal’, who had access to a report by department staff competence of the FTC that until now was unknown, said demand, if it had materialized, would have been the main antitrust case since the Justice Department sued Microsoft in the 90s.
The recommendations contrast with the decision of the five commissioners of the FTC that voted unanimously in 2013 in favor of ending the investigation against Google after they would agree to change their practices in some respects.
The newspaper notes that the recommendations that staff the FTC commissioners have great influence. They are also private and not published, but in this case filtered by mistake as part of the disclosure of documents.
At the time of the vote in 2013, the Commissioners FTC had made them opposing recommendations for was another economic department report recommending not to sue Google.
Jon Leibowitz, Chairman of the FTC when the agency ruled in favor of Google, said in a statement then that the voluntary changes that had taken the company was the best option.
Kent Walker, Google’s chief legal adviser, said in a statement that “after a thorough review for 19 months, the FTC staff and the five commissioners agreed that there was a need for changes in how Google ranks and displays the results of their searches. Since the investigation was closed two years ago, have increased the ways in which people seek information online, allowing consumers to have more options than ever. “
The behavior of Google “will have lasting negative effects on consumer welfare,” the report said. The ‘Wall Street Journal notes that the report now known could lead to competitors of Google to raise new complaints and intensify pressure on the European authorities giant based in Mountain View.
EFE
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