Here are 6 key examples of Google being a monopoly
Technically, this is a duopoly, but it is still very bad. Android and iOS are the 2 major operating systems on over 90% of all current "smart" phones. Google applies strict limitations on the usage and distribution of Android, which makes it hard for its competitors (and even its partners) to distribute Android on their devices.
Google Chrome and Google Chromium currently account for over 95% of all browser marketshare. Due to its marketing dominance, Google Chromium is the new Internet Explorer 6. Major browsers such as Microsoft Edge, Opera, Brave, and many others have switched to Chromium, only making it harder to escape. Gecko is one of the few browser engines that is left, and Gecko and all other browser engines have a combined marketshare of less than 5%.
Additionally, Google puts barriers on people who make new web browsers (even ones based on Chromium) by using malicious methods in their services to try and get people to switch to Google Chrome (the page at google.com currently will ask you 3 times to switch to Google Chrome if you browse the site on ANY other browser. Once you reload, it will ask you 3 more times) there is a strict license agreement to use Google Chromium, and it is one of the few choices left.
Most web developers don't want to develop for smaller engines, which only makes the problem worse. Google does try to make it seem like they are not a browser monopoly by giving donations to projects, but they still abuse their power, and do highly anti-competitive things to get people to sway to Chromium/Chrome.
Google has a monopoly on advertisements, and has become a fat cat over a cesspool of unmonitored advertisements. The top advertisements on their platforms most often go to shady services (sometimes even malware) and do not promote the smaller developer.
Google Analytics are tracking users across over 75% of websites, and building a profile to cater ads towards them. Targeted advertising leads to problems towards health and wellbeing.
Google stopped giving money to YouTube creators in 2018 for advertisements, unless they reach an absurd amount of popularity. Advertisements on most videos don't give money to the creator, but to Google itself. The requirements for being able to monetize your content constantly go up, and users have less and less control over advertisements.
Google uses a filter bubble to trap users into thinking one way or the other, and reinforces that mindset with their search engine. This is psychological abuse, and leads to severe depression, other mental problems, and in some cases, suicide.
Google has a monopoly on search engines. They make it harder for other search engines to compete, and make it difficult to change your default browser on non-Google devices and products.
Google PageRank promotes articles that use Google services and use many keywords, while burying websites that don't have them. Websites spawn thousands of ads, and do shady things that clutters the web with junk.
Google has openly admitted to throttling their Google TV service on systems not running a Google operating system. Google TV users who are not running Android or ChromeOS are capped at 480p video quality (instead of 720p, 1080p, 1440p, 2160p, or 3120p) and additionally cannot download content for offline viewing (unless they are on Android or ChromeOS, both of which are owned by Google)
YouTube is the most difficult video site to alternate from, both because of how it hosts the majority of the videos in the world, and because of license limitations, and an inability to easily download and move content over to other sites.
File version: 1 (2023, Wednesday, April 26th at 7:13 pm PST)
