Google Found Guilty in U.S. Court for Monopolizing Search Engine

A judge in the U.S. ruled that Google violated antitrust laws, paving the way for the condemnation of Alphabet, Google's parent company. Amit Mehta, a district judge in Washington D.C., stated in his ruling on Monday, August 7, that Google had paid approximately $26 billion in 2021 to ensure its search engine was pre-installed as the default on smartphones and browsers to maintain its dominant market share. This ruling opens the door for potential remedies, including the breakup of Alphabet, which could change the landscape of the online advertising world that Google has dominated for years. According to Judge Mehta, the court concluded that Google is a monopolist and has taken actions to maintain this monopoly. He added that Google controls about 90% of the online search market and 95% of smartphones. The U.S. Justice Department stated that Google spent $10 billion to dominate internet search. Merrick Garland, the U.S. Attorney General, called this ruling 'a historic victory for the American people,' adding, 'No company—no matter how big or influential—is above the law.' Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House Press Secretary, also described this ruling as 'a victory for the American people,' stating, 'Americans deserve a free and fair internet to compete.' Alphabet has stated it intends to appeal Judge Mehta's ruling. If an appeal is filed, this legal battle could continue until 2026. Google also commented on the ruling, stating, 'This judicial decision shows that Google provides the best search engine, but concludes that we should not be allowed to make it easily accessible.' Over the past four years, federal regulators have filed antitrust lawsuits against companies including Amazon, Apple, and Meta, known as 'Big Tech' companies. All these actions began during the presidency of Donald Trump.