The American government is looking at the power Google’s core service has online.
The US government has launched a legal battle against Google’s internet search dominance and the control it has over the experience the vast majority of users have online.
This legal battle is expected to begin at full strength tomorrow in federal court in Washington D.C.
The internet search case is expected to be the largest antitrust trial in the United States since Microsoft faced regulators over that company’s dominance over personal computer software. That case occurred about a quarter of a century ago.
The internet search dominance trial is expected to take ten weeks and will take place before US District Judge Amit Mehta. It may involve the inclusion of testimony from some of Google and Alphabet’s top execs, which could prove to be highly revelatory. Executives from other powerful tech companies are also expected to give their own testimony.
Among the most notable witnesses expected to testify will be. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, who took his position in 2019, when Google co-founder Larry Page stepped down from it. Court documents for the case also suggest that Eddy Cue, a top exec from Apple, may also be testifying.
The internet search trial against Google is not unlike the one Microsoft faced all those years ago.
Among the issues in common between the cases against Google and Microsoft is the threat posed to a massive tech giant that billions of people and businesses rely on worldwide.
Starting on Tuesday, the trial’s schedule has it continuing straight through until late November. Moreover, that is expected to be the first phase, which will be followed by another phase of arguments and court filings. A ruling from Mehta isn’t expected to arrive until sometime in early 2024.
Should the judge determine that Google’s internet search services have been violating the law, this will launch another trial to decide on the measures necessary to control the massive company. This will need to be done strategically, as this central Google product has become indispensable to the way many people, companies and organizations function every day.
