Lawmakers Propose Federal Legislation to Stop Google Preferencing Itself in Search Results
The bill comes after a subcommittee chair cited a Markup investigation as evidence the company was building a closed ecosystem By The Markup Staff
A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers led by Reps. David Cicilline (D-RI) and Ken Buck (R-CO), chair and ranking member, respectively, of the House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee, proposed five bills Friday designed to dilute the power of the largest tech platforms—one of them tackling an issue brought to light by a Markup investigation.
The American Choice and Innovation Online Act, sponsored by Cicilline and Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX), would prohibit certain large tech platforms from favoring their own products and services on their platforms, including in search results.
In an investigation published last year, The Markup found that Google covered 41 percent of the first results page on mobile with its own products and properties, such as Google Maps, Google Flights, and “direct answers,” which often replace the need to click through to a website.
