Years of blowback against America’s biggest tech companies will likely come to a head this summer as the Justice Department expects to file antitrust charges against Google. 

• The investigation is still ongoing: But regulators expect to bring charges related to Google’s dominance in the ad market (it takes in roughly one-third of all dollars spent on advertising) and harming competitors through its search rules. This will likely be the biggest antitrust action in the U.S. since the DOJ went after Microsoft in the 1990s.

• The U.S. is following Europe’s lead: European regulators have already fined Google for issues around advertising and mobile phones.

And other tech companies will perhaps follow Google’s lead

State Attorney Generals have also been investigating Facebook, and America’s other major tech companies, such as Amazon, could face pressure from regulators in recent years. 

• Google has been here before and faced no repercussions. In 2013, the Federal Trade Commission ended a 19-month investigation and declined to press charges. 

The Verdict

One of Google’s defenses is likely to be a tried-and-true strategy for major companies at risk of antitrust charges: popularity. The company notes that people are satisfied with its products.