A US federal judge has ruled that Google’s dominance in online search and advertising is unlawful, marking a significant win for antitrust authorities.
The judge found that Google holds a monopoly, controlling 90% of online searches and 95% of smartphone searches, and maintains its position through billions of dollars in payments to secure default search engine status. The ruling targets Google’s primary revenue source and sets the stage for a trial to determine remedies.
This decision is the first major ruling in a series of cases addressing alleged monopolies in the tech industry, with ongoing cases against Meta, Amazon, and Apple. A separate trial against Google’s advertising technology is scheduled for September.
This case marks the first time in a generation that the US government has accused a major corporation of maintaining an illegal monopoly, with the last comparable case being the 2004 settlement with Microsoft.
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