Judge rules Google breaks law as monopoly

According to a federal judge’s ruling on Monday, Google has broken U.S. law through its monopoly in online searches and related advertising. This decision marks the Department of Justice’s first victory over a monopoly in over 20 years, as reported by Reuters. The tech giant, with a market share of about 90 to 95 percent in online searches and on smartphones, has reportedly spent $26.3 billion in 2021 to ensure its search engine remains the default on smartphones and browsers. District Judge Amit Mehta concluded that Google acted as a monopoly to preserve its dominant market share, emphasizing Google’s significant advantage of ‘default distribution’ over its rivals. Google’s parent company, Alphabet, plans to appeal the ruling. This judgment could significantly impact how big tech firms operate in the future.