The UK's Competition & Markets Authority opens an inquiry into Google
And, it couldn’t have come too early!
Let's listen to Sarah Cardell, chief executive of the CMA: “Millions of people and businesses across the UK rely on Google’s search and advertising services. That’s why it’s so important to ensure these services are delivering good outcomes for people and businesses and that there is a level playing field, especially as AI has the potential to transform search services. “It’s our job to ensure people get the full benefit of choice and innovation in search services and get a fair deal - for example in how their data is collected and stored. And for businesses, whether you are a rival search engine, an advertiser or a news organization, we want to ensure there is a level playing field for all businesses, large and small, to succeed.”
According to Owen Meredith, chief executive of the News Media Association, said: “We are very pleased that the CMA has recognized the critical importance of proceeding with an investigation into Google Search as its top priority.
“Google Search is a critically important gateway for the public to access a huge variety of businesses and services including trusted news and journalism which is more important today than ever. Yet, despite its enormous power and the profound impact it can have on other businesses such as news publishers, the workings of Google Search are largely opaque.”
Here's the money quote by the CMA: We (the CMA) "would assess whether competition was working and if Google was using its position to "prevent innovation by others. This includes whether barriers to entry are preventing other competitors from entering the market, in particular whether Google is able to shape the development of new AI services and interfaces, including ‘answer engines’, in ways which limit the competitive constraint they impose on Google Search."
Hey CMA, let me save you time, and money here: Google is constraining competition, AND illegally and unlawfully maintaining that 90% search market share.
They are truly, and without a smidgen of a doubt, evil.