WASHINGTON—Some Justice Department staffers have expressed internal concerns over plans to bring an antitrust lawsuit against Alphabet Inc.’s Google—and what they view as an aggressive timeline favored by Attorney General William Barr, according to people familiar with the matter. Dozens of government antitrust lawyers are on teams investigating whether the search giant has used its dominance to stifle competition. Another team is examining Google’s online advertising business, where the company owns industry-leading tools at every link in the complex chain between online publishers and advertisers. A senior Justice Department official said harm to innovation and nascent competition in fast-moving technology markets can happen quickly. The department has a duty to act expeditiously to determine if antitrust violations have been committed and, if so, to address them, the official said.

Source: Wall Street Journal August 17, 2020 21:50 UTC