Explained: Why Google has a target on its back in Washington

The U.S. Justice Department is preparing an investigation of Alphabet Inc’s Google to determine whether the technology company violated laws to ensure fair competition, two sources familiar with the matter said. The potential investigation, first reported on Friday, is the latest challenge for Google which already faces a raft of complaints about its business practices from rivals, as well as Democrats and Republicans. EU regulatory actions have already led to multibillion dollar fines and reforms to Google’s business practices. The U.S. probe would focus on accusations Google gave preference to its own businesses in search results, one source said.