Don’t Mess With Texas

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is investigating Google to determine if the search engine is committing antitrust violations when it produces search results. Apparently the concern is that Google pushes competitors’ sites down the list. It is not unusual for attorneys general to take on high profile causes – Elliott Spitzer did it a lot before he ran into his own troubles. But Abbott is not commenting on the investigation, other than to confirm that it is underway. The best source of information on the investigation is Google’s Public Policy Blog. The post linked here gives a pretty comprehensive description of what’s happening, as well as a preemptive strike defense of its practices. It’s way too early to guess where the investigation will lead, or whether it will continue. Antitrust cases are complex, to put it mildly. But Google seems to get the early PR advantage, especially given Abbott’s decision to be a tight lipped Texan.