A top Justice Department official said on Newsmax, Wednesday, that a recent federal court ruling against Google marks the start of "digital defrosting," opening the way for new competition in online search and data markets.
Abigail Slater, U.S. assistant attorney general for the DOJ's Antitrust Division, said on "Finnerty" that a landmark court ruling against Google will help restore competition in online search, describing the decision as the beginning of a long-awaited thaw in the tech giant's online monopoly dominance.
"This matters for everyday Americans because it is leveling the playing field for online search. And it's giving back Americans control over their data," Slater said.
The remarks followed U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta's 226-page opinion issued Tuesday in Washington, D.C., ordering remedies to curb Google's monopoly in the search market. While Mehta stopped short of breaking up the company, he endorsed measures aimed at dismantling barriers that have allowed Google to maintain a commanding market share for more than two decades.
"The judge has acknowledged that online search competition has been frozen in place for a couple of decades now," Slater said. "And so the digital defrosting starts today with this opinion."
Slater noted that the court recognized the critical role of consumer data in digital markets, calling it "the oil of online markets." She said the remedies put forward would help "unlock data so that rival companies can thrive and compete with Google."
Although she welcomed the ruling, Slater added that the Justice Department was disappointed by the pace of implementation. "We are disappointed that it's not happening fast enough," she said.
Slater also pointed to additional litigation ahead. "We already have in place a separate court case that's playing out in Virginia that's going to trial again, two weeks from now. And that case is about this business of serving ads online and the technology stack behind that," she said, adding that trial proceedings would begin later this month.
When asked about the impact of Google's practices on conservative media like Newsmax, Slater said the company's control had created upstream barriers that limited access to consumers, audiences, and advertising revenue.
"Because Google has had a gatekeeper status both in online search as well as this technology stack, it's been standing in the way of conservative media and access to consumers and eyeballs, and as well to advertising dollars, which is, of course, critically important to a thriving news environment," she said.
Slater expressed optimism that the ruling would ultimately bring greater viewpoint diversity. "We're hopeful that with more competition, we'll have more marketplace competition around viewpoint diversity," she said.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this story.
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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