DOJ Accuses Google of Deleting Chat Evidence in Antitrust Lawsuit

The Department of Justice (DOJ) accuses Google of deleting internal messaging chat histories required to be preserved under federal rules for an antitrust lawsuit. Google faces multiple antitrust lawsuits from the DOJ and states, including a case related to maintaining monopolies in search and search-related advertising.

Google Employees’ Chat History Deletion

The DOJ’s filing revealed Google employees used an internal chatroom set to delete history every 24 hours for discussing “substantive and sensitive business.” Despite the expectation for Google to change its chat history setting in 2019 when litigation was anticipated, the decision was left to individual employees. Only a few preserved their chat histories relevant to the case, while Google continued deleting most chats even after the lawsuit was filed.

DOJ Allegations and Google’s Response

Google claimed to have implemented a legal hold to stop auto-deletion on its chat tool, but the DOJ alleges this to be false. The company reportedly stopped deleting chat histories this week after being warned of potential sanctions. The DOJ seeks a court ruling stating Google violated federal rules and requesting a hearing for sanctions, as well as more information about its chat practices. Despite the accusations, Google denies the DOJ’s claims, stating its teams have responded diligently to inquiries and litigation by producing millions of documents for this case and others worldwide.