U.S. Government Files Antitrust Lawsuit Against Google for Search Engine Dominance

U.S. Department of Justice today A no-confidence motion was filed Against Google, the Mountain View-based company claims to have used pre-competitive and exclusionary practices in the search and advertising markets to maintain an illegal monopoly.

“Today, millions of Americans rely on the Internet and online platforms for their daily lives. Competitiveness in this industry is extremely important, so today’s the challenge against Google – the gatekeeper of the Internet for breach of no – confidence laws. On behalf of the people. ”Attorney General William Barr said,“ After my confirmation, I have made it a priority to review the Department’s online marketplace platforms to ensure that our technology industry remains competitive. The lawsuit was probably funded by millions of American consumers, advertisers, small businesses and entrepreneurs at the heart of Google’s Internet grip. Look at an illegal monopolist.

Case [PDF]Google, with the support of 11 states’ attorneys, calls the Internet the “monopoly gatekeeper” for billions of users and advertisers around the world. Google has contributed to nearly 90 percent of all searches in the United States, and has been accused of using “anti-competitive tactics” such as exclusion agreements to maintain its monopoly on search and search ads.

One of the main complaints against Google is its dealings with Apple. This allows Google to be the default search engine in Apple’s Safari browser and other search tools. It’s a privilege that Google pays billions for. Google’s agreement with Apple gives Google the default location of all important search access points for Apple devices.

DoJ says that while there is an option to change the search engine, only a handful of people make Google a “truly unique search engine”.

The default status of the iPhone and other Apple products is a “code red” display of how much Google’s agreement with Apple is worth to Google. In 2019, 50 percent of Google search traffic started on Apple devices.

Under the current agreement between Apple and Google, Apple will make Google the default search engine for Safari and use Google for Siri and Spotlight in response to normal search queries. In lieu of this privileged access to Apple’s massive customer base, Google pays Apple $ 8 billion in advertising revenue each year, with a public estimate of $ 8-12 billion. The revenue that Google shares with Apple is approximately 15-20 percent of Apple’s global revenue. […]

Thus, Google sees the prospect of losing the default status of Apple devices as a “code red” display. In short, Google pays Apple billions as the default search provider, because Google knows that the deal will increase the company’s value scale; This at once rejects that scale to the opposition.

Google has entered into agreements to ban the pre-installation of competing search engines, to require pre-installation of search applications in the key locations of mobile devices, and to use “monopoly profits” to purchase “preferential treatment” for Google search engines on devices. Also sues Google in this case. Browsers and other search access points.

Google’s behavior makes it difficult for “innovative companies” to “develop, compete, and discipline” Google’s behavior, which has had an impact on competition and consumers. With this case, DoJ’s goal is to stop Google’s optimistic behavior and “restore competition” to consumers, advertisers and companies that rely on the Internet economy.

in the Responding to the caseGoogle said DoJ’s position was “severely flawed” and that people use Google “because they choose to force themselves or because they can’t find alternatives”.

Google says the case does nothing to help consumers, but artificially presents “low-quality search options” that increase phone prices and make it harder for people to “get the search services they want to use.”

Google, which specializes in Apple, says that Apple uses Google Search for its devices by default. Because they say Google is the best. Google points out that Bing and Yahoo are paying for features of Apple devices that Apple pays for, and that’s it. Simple “to change iPhone settings and switch search engine selection via Safari preferences.

Google says it is confident the court will conclude that the lawsuit is “inconsistent” with the facts or the law, and that while it is active, Google will focus on providing free services that “help Americans every day.”