US Court Rules Google Monopoly Illegal
The Facts
A US federal judge Monday called Google "a monopolist," ruling that it has violated the US antitrust law and that its anticompetitive behavior needs to be stopped.
District Court of Columbia Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google had "violated Section 2 of the Sherman Act” in monopolizing the search and ad markets.
The Spin
Google's monopoly in search and advertising stifles competition and harms small businesses, making it imperative to dismantle it. Given its staggering market share of nearly 95% in search and 75% in online video, small businesses often find themselves paying for Google Ads that deliver questionable results, plagued by bots and inflated metrics. Breaking up Google would ultimately benefit consumers and the economy.
Monday's antitrust ruling unfairly dubs Google a monopoly, ignoring the reality of intense competition in the search engine market. With over 30 search engines, including Yahoo! and Bing, and platforms like Amazon and TikTok vying for search traffic, Google’s dominance is due to consumer preference, not anti-competitive practices. The claim that Google controls 90% of web searches overlooks the fact that users can easily choose other search engines.
