On Monday ( August 5 ) a US federal judge ruled Google has violated antitrust laws, saying the organization
is a corporation, and it has acted as one to keep its dominance.
Google disputes the decision. Its president of global affairs, Kent Walker, said:” this decision recognises that Google offers the best search engine, but concludes that we should n’t be allowed to make it easily available”.
However, the landmark choice has shaken the basis of Google’s company, its search engine. Google has been the mainstay of the industry for well over ten years. Competition has little room to assert itself in the tech sector, which apparently holds about 90 % of the US online business.
Google has been able to maintain its position of supremacy thanks to long-standing agreements with businesses like Apple and Samsung, which make Google the definition search engine for their websites.
Google has been able to charge higher rates for research marketing because of these monopolistic practices. This search engine has become the most straightforward, quick, and trustworthy source for the majority of people because it serves as the default computer across a variety of programs.
Due to this, competitors have much room to offer similar services at more marketable prices, bolstering the company’s website advertising business.
What does this mean for Google?
A separate moving may be held to decide what fines Google and its parent company, Alphabet, may face. The software giant will probably face both imposed sanctions and legal workarounds intended to lessen its standing, though.
Generally, fines have not been the only method of enforcing antitrust regulations as they do not show long-term impacts. This is especially true for a multi-trillion-dollar business like as Google.
The use of a” alternative screen” is one of the possible mitigation measures. Instead of choosing Google as their proxy search engine, users could choose from different available search engines.
Google has previously been found guilty of breaking competitive rules. The European Union has fined it a total of €8.25 billion ( US$$ 9 billion ) for three separate antitrust violations in the past ten years.
Competitive laws are carried out domestically, and each country’s laws have their own antitrust laws. Google is facing these fees on two different countries because of this.
Over the years, Google has continued to charm the EU charges. The business has previously confirmed that it will contest the US decision.
What does this mean for people of the web?
Competitive laws are designed to strengthen competition. By preventing business practices that encourage cruel monopolies, stifle competition, and impose supremacy or power, they are there to protect consumers.
Due to its position of dominance over another search engines, smaller competitors have been unable to operate fairly due to the focus market it has created.
Because of the low visibility competitors, Google does charge large advertising costs.
The new US decision, alongside the EU decisions, may be the first actions towards opening the software industry up to other companies. In turn, this may encourage more equal opposition, which would be a gain for customers.
Opposition fuels incentives for development. This opportunity is suffocated under the supremacy of one dominant player when there is only one opportunity available, as frequently appears to be the case with search engines.
Although antitrust rules are only enforced on local levels, it’s possible that the benefits of the EU and US decisions may include ripple effects beyond these markets.
What does this mean for the contest for AI power?
Some questions were raised during the trial regarding how unfairly Google’s monopoly as the default search engine has benefited it in the artificial intelligence ( AI ) race.
The Google search engine’s definition agreements and terms of service have given the company access to a large amount of customer research data that can be used to teach AI models. Google might use this information as a means of establishing a position of dominance in artificial intelligence because of its simple access.
Google’s placement in the contest for AI supremacy could be changed if it leaves Google as the default search engine for platforms like Apple and Samsung.
As like, it may also change the upcoming path of the entire internet.
Zena Assaad is Top Lecturer, School of Engineering, Australian National University
The Conversation has republished this essay under a Creative Commons license. Read the original content.