The U.S. Justice Department is preparing an anti-trust investigation of Alphabet Inc`s Google, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing sources. The probe is expected to examine Google practices linked to search and other businesses, according to the report https://on.wsj.com/2KhUtnc, which also said the Federal Trade Commission had investigated Google many years ago but will defer to the DOJ this time. 

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Google and the Justice Department did not respond to requests by Reuters for comment on Friday.  In 2013, the FTC ended an investigation https://www.reuters.com/article/us-google-antitrust-idUSBRE9020HK20130104 of Google, concluding that the company had not manipulated its search results to hurt rivals.

Third-party critics of Google have been in discussions with the Justice Department, but it was not clear if the department has contacted Google, the Journal reported. The DOJ`s antitrust division has laid the groundwork for the investigation in recent weeks, the WSJ report said.