Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Risks Losing Current And Future Federal Contracts Over Compensation Data

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Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) faces the risk of losing all current and future government contracts having been sued by the department of labor as part of an anti-discrimination audit. The department in its lawsuit is seeking to compel the tech giant to hand over compensation data as part of a compliance evaluation.

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Google’s Privacy Concerns

In the lawsuit, the Department accuses the search giant of failing to hand over requested data and documents pertaining to compensation as requested by the office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. The agency had sought data regarding the company’s equal opportunity program as early as September 2015.

“Despite many opportunities to produce this information voluntarily, Google has refused to do so. We filed this lawsuit so we can obtain the information we need to complete our evaluation,” said OFCCP Acting Director Thomas M. Dowd.

Google in its defense insists it has turned down over hundreds of thousands of documents to the department as part of its commitment to people’s privacy. The tech giant goes on to claim that handing over some of the documents requested by the agency will reveal confidential data, something it is not willing to do.

Diversity Concerns

Google, one of the biggest Federal contractors, is required by law to permit the federal government to inspect and copy records of its compliance with equal opportunity. The law prohibits such contractors from discriminating in hiring based on applicant’s race, color, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. Why Google would discriminate by anything other than talent and productivity is an open question.

The tech giant handing over the required documents is expected to shed more light on its hiring practices as well as the composition of its workforce, though it is unclear how the composition of its workforce would constitute evidence of discrimination based on anything other than talent and productivity.

Just like other tech companies where men occupy a good number of high-ranking position, Google continues to grapple with diversity concerns, something that the labor department wants to crack down on, as they hold that if the numbers are not exactly equal in proportion to population, discrimination based on something other than productivity must be taking place. The same is part of an effort that seeks to enforce equal employment opportunities regardless of one’s race, gender, or sexual orientation. It is unclear how this effort helps either those supposedly discriminated against, or Google.

Google stock was unchanged in Wednesday trading session having shed $0.24 to close the session at $807.77 a share.

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