They have pledged to “immediately and fully inform the other party of all contacts with authorities relevant to the agreement”
It is reported on Monday that The Wall Street Journal, citing internal Google documents contained in an unredacted version of a lawsuit filed against it by 10 US states, led by Texas, reported that US companies Facebook and Alphabet, which owns Google, agreed to help each other in case US authorities suspect one of them of violating antitrust laws.
“The filing of the lawsuit contains corporate documents confirming a deal that the companies entered into in 2018. As part of that agreement, Facebook and Alphabet executives confirmed their willingness to “cooperate and assist each other” in the event that US authorities prepare to launch an “antitrust investigation” against one of these companies”, – the publication claims. – “Thus, they committed to “immediately and fully inform the other party of all communications with the authorities relevant to the agreement.”
A Google spokesman responded to The Wall Street Journal’s enquiry by pointing out that such agreements are commonplace. It also rejected claims by US authorities that Google was allegedly granting Facebook any privileges.
Last week, a group of 10 US states, led by Texas, accused Google of anti-competitive collusion with Facebook, which owns the social network of the same name. The lawsuit alleges that Facebook became a serious rival to Google in the online advertising market in 2017. The companies therefore allegedly agreed to avoid competition in a number of areas. It was assumed that Google would be able to maintain its leading position in this market by ensuring that Facebook had access to some sectors of the market.