Senator-Elect Josh Hawley (R-MO) could be Google’s fiercest critic

Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley's victory over Sen Claire McCaskill (D-MO) is an ominous sign for one company in particular: Google. Hawley campaigned as an antagonist to big technology companies in general and Google in particular. In 2017, as MO's attorney general, Hawley launched a wide-ranging investigation into Google's business practices. "There is strong reason to believe that Google has not been acting with the best interest of Missourians in mind," Hawley said in a Nov 2017 statement. "When a company has access to as much consumer information as Google does, it's my duty to ensure they are using it appropriately. I will not let Missouri consumers and businesses be exploited by industry giants." In addition to exploring privacy concerns, Hawley also vowed to dig into potentially anti-competitive behavior—including "Google's alleged manipulation of search results to preference websites owned by Google and to demote websites that compete with Google."