U.S. judge to hear dispute over Google DOJ antitrust lawsuit protective order

WASHINGTON: A U.S. judge said on Monday he will consider arguments in a disputed order related to the protection of confidential information in the Justice Department’s antitrust lawsuit filed against Alphabet Inc’s Google LLC unit.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta directed the government and Google to file by Friday “position statements outlining their respective positions on the disputed terms of a protective order.”

The two sides said on Friday they had failed to reach an agreement on how to protect confidential information that was given to the government by third parties.