This month, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it will launch a wide-ranging probe into possible antitrust behavior by social media and technology giants. Although no companies were specifically named, it’s not hard to guess which corporations will be in the limelight: Amazon, Facebook, and, of course, the mother of all technology titans, Google.
There is certainly a case to be made that these companies have been shady with private user data, stifled competition, and manipulated the flow of information to their benefit. But it’s worth considering whether or not a federal government investigation and possible destruction of these influential companies is really necessary.
As perhaps one of the most powerful companies in the world, Google has the most to lose if the federal government intervenes. According to research by Visual Capitalist, 90.8 percent of all internet searches are conducted via Google and its subsidiaries. For comparison’s sake, Google’s two main competitors — Bing and Yahoo! — comprise less than 3 percent of total searches.
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