S.T.O.P. Welcomes DOJ Antitrust Lawsuit Against Google

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For Immediate Release

S.T.O.P. Welcomes DOJ Antitrust Lawsuit Against Google

[NEW YORK, NY, 10/20/2020] -- Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy group, welcomes the announcement that the U.S. Department of Justice will file an Antitrust lawsuit against Google. The lawsuit, which is being filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., reportedly claims that Google improperly maintained a monopoly in the search market, violating Section II of the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890.

SEE: N.Y. Times - U.S. to Accuse Google of Protecting Illegal Monopoly
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/20/technology/google-antitrust.html

“Google has amassed unprecedented power over the American people, and it’s long past time to break them up,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “Google’s monopoly isn’t just a threat to competition, it’s a threat to democracy. For years, we’ve seen law enforcement weaponize Google’s information to conduct mass surveillance. Google’s data can let police track who attends protests, who goes to a house of worship, or even if someone receives reproductive healthcare.”

The lawsuit comes just days after the civil rights group denounced law enforcement’s use of so-called “keyword warrants,” which require Google to provide the identity of every user who searched for a specific term or address. The group warned that the tactic amounted to an “unconstitutional data dump.”

SEE: c|net - Google is giving data to police based on search keywords, court docs show
https://www.cnet.com/news/google-is-giving-data-to-police-based-on-search-keywords-court-docs-show/

In April, S.T.O.P. worked with New York State lawmakers to introduce the first ban in the country on so-called “geofence warrants,” which require Google to identify every user in a specified area.

SEE: W.S.J - Police Requests for Google Users’ Location Histories Face New Scrutiny
https://www.wsj.com/articles/police-requests-for-google-users-location-histories-face-new-scrutiny-11595842201

S.T.O.P. Welcomes Introduction Of NY Geolocation Tracking Ban,
https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2020/4/10/stop-welcomes-introduction-of-ny-geolocation-tracking-ban

Cahn continued, “search tactics like geofence warrants and keyword warrants only work because of the vast troves of information that companies like Google holds on each of us. While we also need to outlaw these search tactics, breaking up the tech giants will also make it much harder for police to harness data to track the public.”

The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider hosted by the Urban Justice Center. S.T.O.P. litigates and advocates for privacy, fighting excessive local and state-level surveillance. Our work highlights the discriminatory impact of surveillance on Muslim Americans, immigrants, and communities of color.

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CONTACT: S.T.O.P. Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn;

PressAlbert cahnOctober 20, 2020