Federal judge: Google has illegal monopoly on search engine market

Shares take a dip after judge's ruling

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Image: Ekaterina-Bolovtsova via Pexels

A federal judge in the United States has ruled that Google engaged in illegal practices in order to maintain its search engine monopoly.

Google, which performs about 90% of all Internet searches in the world, allegedly used its market dominance to displace competitors, US District Judge Amit P. Mehta ruled in a 276-page decision released Monday.

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre called the ruling “a victory for the American people”.

The implications of the ruling are still unclear. Google’s parent company Alphabet indicated Monday that it plans to appeal the ruling. It is possible Alphabet will have to split its operations.

Last year the EU demanded Google start to divest itself of

Shares of Google parent Alphabet fell 4.5% on Monday.

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