A US court has ruled Google is an illegal monopoly – and the internet might never be the same

The recent US ruling, alongside the EU rulings, may be the first steps towards opening the tech market up to other competitors

It is likely the tech giant will be hit with both monetary penalties and enforced mitigations aimed at reducing its dominance. File photo: AP/Jeff Chiu

On Monday, a US federal judge ruled Google has violated antitrust laws, saying the organisation is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly.

Google disputes the ruling. Its president of global affairs, Kent Walker, said “this decision recognises that Google offers the best search engine, but concludes that we shouldn’t be allowed to make it easily available”.