Governance of Google's 90% Search Monopoly - why now?
Google’s dominance in search has long been an accepted reality, but it has never been a comfortable one. With over 90% market share in the UK and most other markets, Google holds unparalleled control over digital visibility, traffic, and revenue across the entire web.
This immense power has rightfully led to significant challenges from regulators. Recently, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) granted Google "Strategic Market Status," signalling a willingness to impose strict new governance. Simultaneously, the European Union is using the Digital Markets Act (DMA) to force fundamental changes to how Google displays its search results.
Google’s office
This regulatory pressure is essential and now is precisely the right time to challenge the ethics of fair choice.
The AI Imperative: When Control Becomes Absolute
For years, the key issue was self-preferencing: Google favouring its own products (like Google Flights or Google Hotels) in search results over competitors (like Expedia or Skyscanner). But the rise of AI makes the need for governance even more critical.
As we've previously discussed, Google's introduction of AI Overviews and AI Mode creates a click-less experience on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). The user gets their answer directly from Google's AI, often without clicking through to the source.
This fundamentally consolidates Google's control:
Organic Control: Google owns the answer, removing the need for a click.
Paid Control: Google rolls out ad placements directly within the AI-generated results, monetising the captured attention.
If left unregulated, this combination of 90% market share and AI-driven answer consolidation could grant Google near-absolute control over the flow of information and commerce online.
The Regulatory Response: Enforcing Fair Choice
The DMA and the CMA are right to challenge this power. Their interventions are focused on the principle of "fair choice" for users and businesses:
Fair Ranking Principles: Introducing requirements to ensure Google's ranking and presentation of search results are fair and non-discriminatory. This includes creating an effective process for businesses to raise and investigate ranking issues.
Publisher Controls for AI: Ensuring publishers have effective transparency, attribution, and choice in how their content is collected and used in AI-generated responses, such as AI Overviews and the Gemini AI Assistant. Crucially, exercising this choice should not affect how the content appears in standard Google Search results.
Dismantling Self-Preferencing: Google is being forced to change how it displays results for services like travel and shopping, giving rival platforms the opportunity for equal treatment and visibility.
Enabling User Choice: Regulations are exploring mandatory "choice screens" where users can easily select a different default search engine, potentially including AI-powered rivals like Perplexity.
This isn't about hurting innovation; it's about safeguarding the diversity of the digital ecosystem. Without fair governance, the incentive to invest and innovate is stifled for everyone who isn't named Google. Now is the time to ensure that the next era of search, the AI era, is built on fairness, not unchecked monopoly.
