The Google logo appeared in Davos, Switzerland on January 20, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann

Washington, November 13 (Reuters)-A group of US states led by Texas has filed an amended complaint against Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) Google, accusing the tech giant of using coercive methods and violating antitrust laws , In an effort to enhance the company’s already dominant advertising business.

The latest allegation is the latest in a regulatory review of Google’s actions. The technology company faces multiple lawsuits, including a lawsuit brought by the Department of Justice for monopolistic behavior. read more

Earlier this week, Google lost an appeal against a US$2.8 billion EU antitrust decision. read more

The amended US lawsuit was filed in New York federal court late Friday, accusing Google of using monopoly and coercive tactics against advertisers in an effort to dominate and drive out competition in the online advertising space.

The lawsuit also emphasized that Google used a secret program called the "Bernanke Plan" in 2013, which used bid data to provide advantages for its own advertising purchases. For example, in the 2015 iteration of the plan, Google allegedly abandoned the second highest bid in publisher auctions, accumulated funds in a pool, and then spent the money only on increasing the use of the company’s Google Ads ads The customer’s bid. The states claimed that otherwise they might lose the auction.

A Google spokesperson said the lawsuit incorrectly described an improvement the company made to optimize advertiser bids.

The statement said: "Just because (Texas) the Attorney General (Ken) Paxton asserted something does not prove that it is true. This lawsuit is full of inaccuracies."

The Texas Attorney General's office did not respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.

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