The Justice Department is preparing to conduct an antitrust investigation into Google, a move that could increase scrutiny on the tech giant.

People familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal that the agency’s antitrust division has spent recent weeks laying the foundation for the probe.

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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which shares the department’s antitrust jurisdiction, conducted an antitrust probe into Google in 2013 into whether its business practices threatened competitors, but it declined to take any punitive action.

Sources told the Journal that the FTC agreed to allow the Justice Department to oversee the upcoming inquiry, which will likely probe Google’s business practices.

People familiar with the matter said that third-party critics of Google have already been in contact with the Justice Department, though it is unclear what the precise focus of the investigation will be.

The Justice Department and Google did not respond to requests for comment from The Hill.