US Federal Judge Rules Google Acted Illegally to Maintain Search Monopoly

Google's reign as the dominant online search engine has been struck with a historic antitrust ruling. The groundbreaking verdict was delivered by US District Judge Amit P. Mehta, marking a pivotal moment in the battle against the unchecked power of big tech.

In his 277-page ruling, Judge Mehta found that Google's actions amounted to an abuse of monopoly power. The company faced accusations from the Justice Department and several states for illegally reinforcing its supremacy. Google's tactics included paying billions annually to companies like Apple and Samsung to ensure it remained the default search engine on their devices.

This landmark decision represents a significant victory for regulators striving to limit the mighty clout of internet-era tech giants. Its ramifications will likely reverberate through several imminent government antitrust cases against industry behemoths like Google, Apple, Amazon, and Meta—Facebook's parent company.

However, the ruling falls short of dictating any specific penalties for Google's conduct. The task of deciding potential punitive measures or operational changes now rests on Judge Mehta's shoulders.
This epic legal saga has spanned several years, filed over Google's dominance in online searches, a lucrative sector generating billions in profits each year.

Currently, Google’s search engine reportedly manages nearly 90% of all web searches—a claim the company disputes.

Google also invests billions each year to maintain its status as the default search engine on browsers like Safari and Firefox, including over $18 billion to Apple in 2021.

- CyberBeat