US authorities accuse Google of bribing browser and mobile phone developers
Prosecutors say Google paid them billions to install its search engine as the default
The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a plea in a lawsuit against Google that promises to be the largest antitrust trial in the tech industry in 20 years.
The authorities will argue that the world's largest search engine paid billions of dollars to developers of Internet browsers and mobile phones to include Google search by default.
Source. This was reported by CNBC.
As the company uses user information to improve its algorithms, it has created a cycle of monopoly profits while maintaining market share, blocking access to competitors and stifling innovation in the industry.
Google claimed that users simply preferred its search engine. That's why its search is enabled by default on both browsers and mobile devices (participating in the revenue sharing program). Moreover, users can easily change the search to an alternative one.
Google will be represented in court not only by CEO Sundar Pichai, but also by Apple's Senior Vice President of Software Eddy Cue and Mozilla (Firefox) CEO Mitchell Baker.
The trial on the lawsuit, filed in 2020, began the day before in a Washington court. It will last 10 weeks. First, the court will hear the position of the Department of Justice, then a coalition of 38 state attorneys general, then Google.
According to Bloomberg, a victory for the DOJ could lead to a split of Alphabet and a spin-off of the search business. However, such an outcome is unlikely.
Most likely, there will be restrictions on payments to Apple, Samsung, and other smartphone manufacturers for setting Google as the default search engine.
Background. As a reminder, Ukrainian entrepreneurs can once again create business profiles on Google maps. Google business for Ukraine was blocked in April 2022 for security reasons.
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