OAKLAND - The suit brought by the Department of Justice against Google, represents a shift in the wind of public opinion about the economic and social power of Big Tech. Not since a similar antitrust suit was brought against Microsoft in 2002 has there been such an intentional and direct attempt to limit the power of a tech company like Google. Oakland Privacy supports the efforts to lessen Google’s stranglehold on internet search options, which it maintains by "paying billions of dollars each year to distributors—including popular-device manufacturers such as Apple, LG, Motorola, and Samsung; major U.S. wireless carriers such as AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon; and browser developers such as Mozilla, Opera, and UCWeb—to secure default status for its general search engine and, in many cases, to specifically prohibit Google’s counterparties from dealing with Google’s competitors.” Citation: Initial DOJ complaint, Case 1:20-cv-03010 Document 1. Emphasis in original. Oakland Privacy supports the Department of Justice’s victory in this case, and although such a massive antitrust case will likely not reach its terminus for a few years, winning at this level provides a significant advantage to the United States's ability to regulate Big Tech and represents a significant hindrance to Google's ability to monopolize your attention and traffic. Oakland Privacy 2024 Privacy Rights fellow Saoirse Grace comments: Google’s vastly superior market share is no accident, and neither is it benign. The ability of one corporation to control the world’s primary access point to information should cause anyone to reconsider their relationship to Google. There are other search engines, and there are other browsers, each of which is developed by people who have privacy and security in mind, unlike Google, whose profit structure relies on putting ads above your search results. In addition to liability in the antitrust case, Google has implemented Search Generative Experience (SGE, for short) into its search results page. This generative AI response will be the primary result for many searches, which will occupy what is arguably the most important real estate on the internet. ### Oakland Privacy is a citizens’ coalition that works statewide to defend the right to privacy, enhance public transparency and promote oversight regarding the use of surveillance techniques and equipment. We were instrumental in the creation of the first standing municipal citizens’ privacy advisory commission in the City of Oakland, and we have engaged in privacy enhancing legislative efforts with several Northern California cities and regional entities. As experts on municipal privacy reform, we have written use policies and impact reports for a variety of surveillance technologies, conducted research and investigations, and developed frameworks for the implementation of equipment with respect for civil rights, privacy protections and community control. We have been recognized for our work with a 2018 “Defender of Civil Rights Award” from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a 2019 Barlow Award (formerly known as the Pioneer Awards) from the Electronic Frontier Foundation and a 2021 James Madison Freedom of Information Award from the Society of Professional Journalists.
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