California Attorney General Xavier Becerra speaks during a news conference in Sacramento, California. AP

Gulf Today Report

California will join the US government and 11 other states in bringing lawsuits against Google parent Alphabet Inc., one of the state's largest businesses.

State Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed the motion to join the case in federal court on Friday for abusing its market dominance.

READ MORE

US Supreme Court rejects Trump-backed election lawsuit

US FDA authorises Pfizer coronavirus vaccine for emergency use

The state's top prosecutor said on Friday, "Google's market dominance leaves consumers and small businesses with little choice when it comes to Internet search engines."

Image only for representation.

Becerra added, "Google’s anticompetitive behavior has unlawfully maintained the company’s monopoly on internet search and search-based advertising at the expense of consumers.”

"By using exclusionary agreements to dominate the market, Google has stifled competition and rigged the advertising market."

The US Justice Department and 11 states in October brought a civil case against Google for pursuing an illegal monopoly in its search functions and in its advertising research services.

Google, founded in 1998 and headquartered in California, has often been accused of abusing its power to exclude competitors.

It is the default search engine on many devices, and its Chrome web browser and mobile operating system Android dominate the market.

The US Justice Department also accuses it of forcing consumers and advertisers to use its services on Android devices on apps that cannot be deleted, such as Google Maps.

On Wednesday the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and prosecutors representing 48 states and territories also announced they had filed a complaint against Facebook for abusing its market dominance.