A US court has ruled that Google is an illegal monopoly – and the internet may never be the same again

On Monday, a U.S. federal judge ruled that Google violated antitrust laws, saying the organization

is a monopolist and has acted as such to maintain its monopoly.

Google is contesting the decision. Its president of global affairs, Kent Walker, said: “This decision recognizes that Google offers the best search engine, but concludes that we should not be allowed to make it easily accessible.”

The landmark decision, however, shook the foundation of Google’s business, its search engine. For more than a decade, Google has been the dominant search engine on the market. The tech giant reportedly controls about 90 percent of the U.S. online search market, leaving little room for competitors to maneuver.

Google has been able to maintain this dominance through exclusive contracts with companies such as Apple and Samsung, which allow it to be the default search engine on their platforms.

These monopolistic practices have allowed Google to charge high prices for search engine advertising. As the default browser on many platforms, this search engine has become the easiest, fastest and most reliable resource for most users. This has strengthened the company’s online advertising business, leaving little room for competitors to offer comparable services at more reasonable prices.

What does this mean for Google?

A separate proceeding will be conducted to determine the penalties that Google and its parent company, Alphabet, will face. However, it is likely that the tech giant will be subject to both monetary penalties and mitigation measures aimed at reducing its dominant position.

Fines have never been the only method of enforcing antitrust laws because they have no long-term impact. This is especially true for a multi-billion dollar company like Google.

Mitigation measures that could be imposed include implementing a “choice screen.” This would allow users to choose between other available search engines, instead of having Google as the default option.

This is not the first time Google has been found guilty of antitrust violations. Over the past decade, the company has been fined a total of €8.25 billion ($13.6 billion) by the European Union for three separate violations of the bloc’s antitrust laws.

Antitrust laws are enforced at the national level, and violations of those laws are specific to each national market. That’s why Google is facing these charges on two different continents.

Google has continued to appeal fines imposed by the EU over the years. Walker has already confirmed that the company will appeal the US decision.

What does this mean for Internet users?

Antitrust laws aim to strengthen competition. They aim to protect consumers by prohibiting business practices that promote unfair monopolies, hinder competition, and strengthen dominance or power.

Google’s dominance over other search engines created a concentrated market that made it difficult for smaller competitors to operate fairly.

This is why Google can charge high advertising prices because there is little competition for visibility.

The recent decision by the United States, along with those of the European Union, could be the first steps towards opening the technology market to other competitors. This could in turn promote fairer competition, which would benefit consumers.

Competition drives innovation. When there is only one option available, as is often the case with search engines, this incentive is stifled by the dominance of a single monopoly player.

Even though antitrust laws are only enforced at the national level, it is to be hoped that the results of EU and US decisions will have repercussions that extend beyond these markets.

What does this mean for the race for AI supremacy?

During the trial, some concerns were raised about how Google’s monopolised position as the default search engine has unfairly benefited it in the race for artificial intelligence (AI).

Google’s default search engine agreements and terms of service have given the organization access to massive amounts of user search data, which can be used to train AI models. Easy access to this data can serve as a gateway for Google to establish a dominant position in AI.

Dismantling Google as the default search engine on platforms like Apple and Samsung could change Google’s position in the race for AI supremacy.

As such, it could also change the future trajectory of the entire Internet.