The US Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit with Google, with the focus on the deal with Apple

On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Google for its illegal monopoly over the search and advertising market, launching one of the largest antitrust lawsuits in US history. .

The lawsuit was backed by the Attorney General of 11 US states, and called Google the ” exclusive gatekeeper ” for the internet access of billions of users and advertisers around the world. Google holds 90% of the market share of search queries in the US and is accused of using ” non-competitive tactics ” such as exclusive contracts to maintain its monopoly position in the search market and search advertising.

One of the arguments against Google is their agreement with Apple to allow Google to be the default search engine on Apple’s Safari browser and other search engines – a deal that covers billions of dollars Google pays. for Apple. The Apple deal “gives Google a coveted, default location across all critical search access points” for Apple devices.

” Under an agreement between Apple and Google, which will last for many years, Apple will use Google’s search engine as the default for Safari and use Google for Siri and Spotlight to respond to search queries. Prioritizing access to Apple’s huge consumer base, Google pays Apple billions of dollars in advertising revenue each year, with numbers ranging from $ 8 billion to $ 12 billion. about 15-20% of Apple’s global net income . ”

The deal with Apple is so valid that Google considers the possibility of losing its default position on iPhones and other Apple devices a “Red Code” situation. In 2019, nearly 50% of Google’s search bandwidth comes from Apple devices.

The lawsuit also accuses Google of making agreements that prohibit the pre-installation of competing search engines, require pre-install of search apps in preferred locations on mobile devices, and ” advantageous ” use. monopoly profit “to” buy preferred treatment “for Google search engines on mobile devices, web browsers and other search access points.

The US Justice Department’s lawsuit said that Google’s behavior makes it harder for ” new innovative companies ” to ” develop, compete, and punish Google behavior “, which will have an impact. competition and consumers. With its lawsuit, the US Justice Department aims to end Google’s noncompetitive behavior and ” restore competition ” for consumers, advertisers and companies dependent on the economy. Internet.

In response to the lawsuit, Google said that the Justice Department’s move was ” a profound mistake ” and that people use Google ” because they choose to do so, not because they have to, or because they can’t find an alternative . ”

As for the Apple deal, Google said Apple uses the Google search engine as the default for their device because ” they say Google is the best “. Google also emphasized that Bing and Yahoo also pay Apple to appear on company devices, and that “simple” users can simply change the settings in their iPhone and change the search engine in their preferences. Safari is fine.

Refer to MacRumors