September 15, 2023

Google is fighting back against antitrust allegations in court, arguing that users prefer its search engine because of its quality, not because of any unfair practices.

The Justice Department has accused Google of paying billions of dollars to wireless carriers and other companies to make Google the default search engine on their devices. The government argues that this gives Google an unfair advantage over its rivals.

Google insists that its data shows that users are happy to stick with Google, even when it’s not the default. It presented evidence that shows that when people are given a choice of search engines, they overwhelmingly choose Google.

For example, Google says that even on Verizon BlackBerries, where Bing was the default search engine, 91% of searches were still done on Google.

Google also argues that its payments to other companies are fair compensation for the value that Google provides. The company says that its search engine is better than its rivals, and that it helps partners generate revenue.

The sources for this piece include an article in Reuters.