Federal courts are cracking down on Big Tech companies, citing improper influence on the way we search online, consume information and shop. The first official ruling against a Big Tech company was heard on Monday, August 5 against Google.
The Google company used illegal measures to maintain a monopoly on online search, the court ruled. The Justice Department specifically cited billion-dollar payments to other tech companies, such as Apple and Samsung, to make Google the automatic handler of all search queries on smartphones and web browsers.
The future success of Google is now unclear, as the company was built on its easily accessible and pervasive search engine. With this power checked, profits and users could plummet.
This is just the beginning. Big Tech’s influence has grown exponentially in the past decade, causing concern amongst government officials. The Google ruling is likely to spark a series of federal antitrust lawsuits against companies such as Apple, FaceBook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Tech monopolies have a serious impact on the way we navigate the world and absorb information, therefore checks and limits are essential to the future of a healthy society.