FTC Must Protect America's Consumers, Innovators

A statement from FairSearch.org:

“It’s vital that the FTC live up to its mission of ‘protecting America’s consumers’ by taking a strong, legally binding enforcement action to permanently end Google’s biased display of search results and other harmful abuses of monopoly power that threaten to reduce consumer choice and innovation in Internet services. Enforcement authorities should not allow Google to retain an unfair advantage in the market gained through years of anti-competitive behavior.

“Google has already shown it will not live up to its legal obligations voluntarily. Only months ago, the FTC fined Google for violating commitments it made to respect consumers’ privacy in the Buzz settlement, another sign that consumers and authorities should think twice before trusting Google at its word.

“If the FTC fails to take meaningful action after a nearly two-year investigation, Google will only be emboldened to act in ways that are more harmful to consumers and innovators. The harms from Google’s practices will not go away, and will need to be addressed by other competition enforcement officials who are investigating the company’s anti-competitive practices.

“FairSearch and its members will continue working with authorities and policymakers to ensure that Google is not given free reign to determine winners and losers in the marketplace. Ultimately, that power should rest with consumers in a free market.”