Breaking up is hard to do, but it's time

What benefits will result from the historic U.S. court decision last month that Google is a monopolist?

- DAVID OLIVE

We can expect that the remedies, or penalties, imposed on Google will result in greater consumer choice in online search and that search quality will improve.

The remedies agreed to in a settlement between Google and the U.S. Justice Department, which brought the antitrust case against Google, could have far-reaching benefits beyond genuine competition in online search.

Freed from Google’s overbearing influence in the digital ecosystem, inventors and entrepreneurs — everyone from app developers to digital platform builders — would be better able to create innovative products that drive gains in economic productivity.

The Google ruling has potential “to open one of the most important digital markets to competition and innovation,” says Keldon Bester, executive director of the Canadian Anti-Monopoly Project.

The ruling also strengthens U.S. antitrust enforcers in their cases against Apple, Amazon, Meta Platforms (Facebook, Instagram) and Ticketmaster and its owner, Live Nation Entertainment. Google faces a separate antitrust trial next month over its alleged monopoly in online advertising technology.

Canada’s Competition Bureau is investigating Google’s advertising practices to determine if Google is improperly suppressing competition in the online ad industry.

And the U.S. ruling against Google could hobble Big Tech in its bid for dominance in artificial intelligence (AI).