Congressional antitrust investigators are scrutinizing plans by Google to use a new internet protocol because of concerns that it could give the company a competitive advantage by making it harder for others to access consumer data.The House Judiciary Committee asked Google in a letter dated September 13th 2019, for information about its “decision regarding whether to adopt or promote...
Congressional antitrust investigators are scrutinizing plans by Google to use a new internet protocol because of concerns that it could give the company a competitive advantage by making it harder for others to access consumer data.
The House Judiciary Committee asked Google in a letter dated September 13th 2019, for information about its “decision regarding whether to adopt or promote the adoption” of the protocol, which the Alphabet Inc. company said is aimed at improving internet security. The House investigators are also collecting information as to whether data collected or processed through the new protocol will be used by Google for any commercial purposes, according to the letter.
The new standard would encrypt internet traffic to improve security, which could help prevent hackers from spoofing on websites. However, according to cable and wireless companies, the new standard could alter the internet’s competitive landscape. They fear being shut out from much of user data if browser users move wholesale to this new standard, which many internet service providers don’t currently support.
An association of internet service providers told lawmakers in a letter dated September19th 2019 that since the majority of world-wide internet traffic runs through the Chrome browser or the Android operating system, Google could become the overwhelmingly predominant DNS lookup provider. Moreover they said, “Google would acquire greater control over user data across networks and devices around the world. This could inhibit competitors and possibly foreclose competition in advertising and other industries.”
They urged lawmakers to call on Google not to impose the new standard as a default standard in Chrome and Android.
The European Union, however, has been much tougher on Google as antitrust authorities for the region have slapped the company with a total of $9 billion over the past three years for harming competition and consumers. E.U. officials have faulted Google for giving better billing in search results to its own offerings over rivals, for example, and using unfair practices in deploying its Android smartphone operating system.