Judge rules Google maintains monopoly in web search

A US judge passed a ruling on Monday in the landmark antitrust case against Google by the Justice Department (DOJ), finding that Google has been acting like a monopoly in the search engine and text advertising space.

Why is it important?
It’s the first time in decades that a tech company has been found guilty of monopolistic behavior.

The DOJ filed a case against Google in 2020, claiming that the company created barriers to prevent other companies from entering the market, aiming to stay in control.

The court found that Google’s agreements with Android and Apple’s iPhone and iPad devices helped it maintain its dominance in web search markets.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said the decision is a big win for Americans and emphasized that no company is above the law.

Google plans to appeal the decision. The tech giant argues that its dominance is due to consumer preference for its superior search engine.

The California-based company controls 89.2% of the general search market and 94.9% on mobile devices, cited yesterday’s ruling. Its daily search queries are approximately 8.5 billion worldwide, doubling from 12 years ago.

Google’s advertising revenue of nearly $240 billion last year was also pointed out as the result of its monopoly.