Google anti-trust lawsuit

[Mikel2]

The Justice Department has filed an anti-trust action against Google.

I've always been against anti-trust legislation, and I don't think this will go anywhere, particularly if Biden wins in November, but Google scares the beejezus out of me.

https://www.redstate.com/jeffc/2020/10/20/justice-department-announces-legal-action-against-google/

[Murph]

YES! YES! YES! Hammer them! Break them up!

[Jeff]

I remember Ma Bell, do it.

[Harold Jones]

Other than a whopping big fine I don't really see the remedy.  There are plenty of search engines out there, people are free to choose the one they want.  Every browser and phone I've used for decades lets me choose my default search engine.  

[Skywalkre]

On 10/20/2020 at 5:03 PM, Mikel2 said:

I've always been against anti-trust legislation

Why's that?

As for the case in question I've heard the Justice Dept may have a strong position... but there's grumbling that it was rushed for political purposes so that could hurt their chances of success.

Edited October 22, 2020 by Skywalkre

[Mikel2]

6 hours ago, Skywalkre said:

Why's that?

As for the case in question I've heard the Justice Dept may have a strong position... but there's grumbling that it was rushed for political purposes so that could hurt their chances of success.

Only governments can create monopolies.  How a company deals with its competitors, as long as it's within the law, should be none of the government's business.

[Ssnake]

...but is what Google's doing covered by law, that is the question.

[nitflegal]

I think it's a foolish lawsuit being used to try and accomplish something very different from its proposed purpose.  There are plenty of search engines out there, Google rules that world because it has been around for awhile and users prefer it.  The reason people want Google broken up is because they are using this power to skew what information reaches what people so that policies and social norms that the employees like can be reinforced, probably up to and including changing what person is in power.  If they apolitical and not trying to skew society there'd be no outcry if they were just buying up upstart competitors.  People (and myself too more often than not ) want them broken up because of what they are doing with their dominating power outside of the business world.