Whether you purchase a new tablet or aphone, you know that there is only going to be so much removable bloatware. In some cases, you might want to remove pre-installed software because you know that you won’t use it. However, big tech companies don’t make it easy to stray from default apps and services. Companies, including Amazon and Apple, are some of the biggest offenders. Now, the US Justice Department is taking Google to court, citing monopolistic business practices.
A 10-week-long trial will start Tuesday to determine if Google was able to dominate the search engine landscape through illegal means (viaThe New York Times). Specifically, the Justice Department wants to hone in on the other businesses that helped Google become what it is today — the most dominant search engine in the country, per statistics from data analytics companySimilarweb. Its argument spotlights the deals that Google has with companies, such as Apple. Complainants allege that Google entered these partnerships to ensure that its search engine would be the default on mobile devices. The counterargument from the company is that consumers have the option to change their default settings upon purchasing a device.
The Justice Department has already seen some of its claims dismissed ahead of the trial. In a memorandum drafted last month, US District Judge Amit Mehtadismissed the argumentthat Google had been pushing its search engine on its own mobile devices. Claims that the Google Assistant service was prioritized on Android phones were also dismissed. However, the trial will still move forward on the Justice Department’s allegations that Google’s business partnerships helped it dominate the search engine market.
This is not the first time that the company has been accused of monopolization. In August,it was fined the US equivalent of $31.5 millionby the Fair Trade Commission of South Korea. Regulators claimed that Google had attempted to dominate its competitors in the app store space.
The Justice Department and Google have deposed more than 150 people for the trial. Several key witnesses are expected to participate, including Google chief executive Sundar Pichai. The final outcome will be determined by the end of the year, but the impact of the trial may last well beyond 2023. Any changes Google makes as a result could alter the way we turn to the search engine for some of our most pressing questions.
