CEI Objects to DOJ’s Data-Sharing Proposal in Google Monopoly Case
A federal court shouldn’t force Google to share users’ personal data in DOJ’s monopoly lawsuit against the company, the Competitive Enterprise Institute said Thursday.
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DOJ’s proposed antitrust remedies against Google include a recommendation that the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia appoint a technical committee to force Google to share user data with qualified competitors. The FTC backed DOJ’s proposal, saying the privacy measures are similar to those the commission uses in consent orders with consumer protection violators.
The proposal includes “no binding privacy standards, no oversight mechanisms, and no criteria for who will qualify to access and use this data,” said CEI Center for Technology & Innovation Director Jessica Melugin. DOJ wants to rely on a technical committee rather than “articulate to the court for its careful consideration how such an unprecedented intrusion into Americans’ privacy should be managed.” Melugin said hopefully the court limits remedies to the findings in the trials, specifically Google’s contracts for default placement.