How Google produces its search results, US court documents show: ‘Not by happenstance’

A US judge ruled that Google had violated antitrust law by spending billions of dollars in order to secure exclusive agreements with developers, carriers and equipment makers with the aim to become the default search engine. Owing to this, Google broke the law and maintained an illegal monopoly on online search, federal judge Amit Mehta ruled. This marks the first big win for US antitrust authorities who have filed lawsuits challenging Big Tech’s market dominance. Judge Amit Mehta wrote in the his 277-page ruling, “Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly.”

Do users switch to Google rivals?
The judge noted that users have the choice to switch to different search engines but they rarely exercise the same. He noted, “Sure, users can access Google’s rivals by switching the default search access point or by downloading a rival search app or browser. But the market reality is that users rarely do so.”