A US Court has ruled Google is an illegal monopoly – and the internet might never be the same

RichardDrew/AP by Zena Assaad, Australian National University On Monday a US federal judge ruled Google has violated antitrust laws, saying the organization is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly. Google disputes the ruling. Its president of global affairs, Kent Walker, said “this decision recognizes that Google offers the best search engine, but concludes that we shouldn’t be allowed to make it easily available”. Here’s our statement on today’s decision in the DOJ case: “This decision recognizes that Google offers the best search engine, but concludes that we shouldn’t be allowed to make it easily available. We appreciate the Court’s finding that Google is ‘the industry’s highest quality… — Google Communications (@Google_Comms) August 5, 2024 Nevertheless, the landmark decision has shaken the foundation of Google’s business, its search engine. For well over a decade, Google has been the dominant search engine in the market. The tech giant reportedly controls around 90% of the US online search market, leaving little room for competitors to make any claim. Google has been able to maintain this dominance through exclusive contracts with companies such as Apple and Samsung, which enable Google to be the default search engine on their...