Google could reportedly be the subject of an antitrust investigation

It's not the greatest time to be a major tech company — at least not when it comes to political standing.

The Justice Department has reportedly been preparing to launch an antitrust investigation of Alphabet Inc.'s Google, people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal on Friday. The department would closely examine Google's business practices, including those related to its search engine and advertising, The New York Times reports.

The investigation would come on the heels of multi-billion-dollar antitrust fines for Google from the European Union, which are seemingly representative of a global shift in attitudes toward tech giants.

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If the Justice Department does go through with the investigation, it would be the first antitrust case against a major tech company during the Trump administration, though Google was the subject of an antitrust investigation as recently as 2013. The five Federal Trade Commissioners voted unanimously against bringing charges against the company at that time.

A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment on the matter and Google did not immediately respond to the Journal's request for comment.