GOP Ohio AG Sues To Declare Google A Public Utility

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports:

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost on Tuesday asked a state court to declare Google a public utility as a way to ensure that the tech giant can’t prioritize placement of its own products in search results.

The lawsuit, filed in Delaware County Common Pleas Court, is the first of its kind filed in the nation, according to a release from Yost’s office.

Yost’s suit argues that Google’s search function meets the definition of a public utility, which it says is when the nature of a company’s operation “is a matter of public concern and…membership is indiscriminately and reasonably made available to the general public.”

Read the full article. Yost last appeared on JMG when he sued the Biden administration to use federal COVID stimulus funding to cut local taxes.

Ohio AG Dave Yost takes on Google to declare it a public utility. He says the search engine harms Ohioans. https://t.co/Bxz39oxq82

— Local 12/WKRC-TV (@Local12) June 8, 2021