"Anyone who's used the internet at some point over the last 25 years won't exactly struggle to understand that Google has a pervasive, and it turns out illegal, monopoly over online search. A recent ruling from a US court setting out what they think should be done about this stranglehold is, however, less clear-cut. It does little for Google's competitors, while raising complex questions about privacy and data."
"U.S. District Judge Mehta rejected calls from both the US Department of Justice and others for Google to be forced to sell off its browser Chrome or its mobile operating system Android. Instead, Google will be required to provide (one-off) access to some of its data (both search index and user data) to potential rivals looking to build and develop their own search engines. Google will also be permitted to continue paying others (like Apple and Mozilla) to use its search engine as a default."
"More of a speedbump than a roadblock for the internet's first juggernaut then. We're not expecting people to start suggesting you "just do-an-online-search-using-your-preferred-privacy-preserving-search-engine it" any time soon. At PI, we've been thinking about the important implications that both the ruling and the remedy have for the future of online and offline privacy and the role of your data in ensuring fair competition."
Google maintains an illegal monopoly over online search. A U.S. court ruling requires Google to provide one-off access to parts of its search index and certain user data to potential rivals. The court rejected forcing Google to sell Chrome or Android. Google may continue paying companies such as Apple and Mozilla to set Google as the default search engine. The remedy offers limited competitive benefit and may act as a temporary speedbump for Google. The decision raises complex privacy and data-protection questions about sharing search indexes and user data, affecting online and offline privacy and fair competition.
Read at Privacy International
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