Amazon, Apple, Microsoft Want Their Data Kept Private from Google in Court Case

A group of technology companies that includes Microsoft has filed a motion in Google’s antitrust case to keep their data private from the search giant.

“Disclosure of this information to Google would directly implicate future business dealings between Apple and Google, provide Google with a substantial advantage over Apple in negotiations, and potentially disadvantage competitor search engines that negotiate with Apple and other software providers,” an Apple statement explains.

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Amazon, Apple, AT&T, Comcast, Duck Duck Go, Microsoft, Oracle, Sonos, and T-Mobile are among the firms that have asked the judge in the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) antitrust case against Google to protect the “competitively sensitive” data that they have given to regulators. The fear is that Google’s lawyers will use this information to help Google behind the scenes, much as Google uses its search data insights to build products and services that compete with existing and popular solutions.

The DOJ agrees and says that the firms that provided evidence against Google should be able to designate the most sensitive documents and data as “highly confidential,” which would prevent them from being viewed by Google’s lawyers. Otherwise, Google will learn proprietary information and gain yet another unfair competitive advantage.

For its part, Google has offered to ensure the privacy of the confidential information by ensuring that only two of its in-house attorneys would be able to view it, and only at the offices of Google’s outside counsel or in another secure place. Google also says that it will disclose any accidental viewing of confidential material immediately.

Judge Amit Mehta has yet to rule on the request.

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Conversation 10 comments

  • sammyg

    22 November, 2020 - 1:12 am

    <p>Why does anyone use Google products? The only thing I use is YouTube and if there was an alternative I will stop today and never look back.</p>

    • codymesh

      22 November, 2020 - 5:11 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#594776">In reply to sammyg:</a></em></blockquote><p>"why does anyone use Google products?"</p><p>followed by</p><p>"I use [google product] and if there was an alternative I will stop"</p><p><br></p><p>lol</p>

    • Paul Thurrott

      Premium Member
      22 November, 2020 - 8:35 am

      Come on.

      People use Google products and services because they’re better than the alternatives. There aren’t just a few examples of this.

      • George Rae

        22 November, 2020 - 2:15 pm

        <blockquote>Always amusing what people chose to be triggered by. Meanwhile ignoring all the apps they gleefully use hoovering up everything they can about you. Then sell it for purposes far more concerning than trying to sell you stuff you don’t need.</blockquote><p><br></p>

      • kb923689

        22 November, 2020 - 2:46 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#594802">In reply to paul-thurrott:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>Unlike Facebook, Google actually make our lives easier.</p>

      • rm

        23 November, 2020 - 11:26 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#594802">In reply to paul-thurrott:</a></em></blockquote><p>I don't know about all of Google products and services. gmail, hangouts, gdrive, Google Docs. They all have competing products that are better.</p>

      • compunut

        Premium Member
        23 November, 2020 - 2:18 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#594802">In reply to paul-thurrott:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>I don't know what you mean, I would never use any awful Google products. Oh, wait a sec, just got some notifications on my phone…</p><p><br></p><p>OK, back. It was just Android telling me about Youtube Music, Google Pay, and GMail information.</p><p><br></p><p>Where was I going with this?</p>

      • elv

        23 November, 2020 - 2:44 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#594802">In reply to paul-thurrott:</a></em></blockquote><p>This. Most of the people dont care about Google, Apple, Ms etc.</p>

    • spiderman2

      24 November, 2020 - 3:47 am

      <blockquote><a href="#594776" class="md-opjjpmhoiojifppkkcdabiobhakljdgm_doc"><em>In reply to sammyg:</em></a></blockquote><p>same here, there are (quality( better alternatives than youtube, just people fill the contents mainly on YouTube only</p>

      • Paul Thurrott

        Premium Member
        24 November, 2020 - 8:31 am

        No there aren’t. What are you talking about? 🙂

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