The founder of DuckDuckGo, a privacy-focused search engine, expressed frustration about the difficulty users face when trying to switch their default search engine from Google during the antitrust trial. Gabriel Weinberg, whose company holds only 2.5% of the US search market compared to Google’s 90%, attributed DuckDuckGo’s struggles to Google’s dominant position as the default option on smartphones and mobile devices. Weinberg testified that the process of switching default search engines is unnecessarily complicated, with too many steps involved. Despite seeking default status for DuckDuckGo, Weinberg reported that Google’s existing contracts and top-dollar payments prevented any progress in securing this position. Weinberg’s testimony supports the Justice Department’s argument that Google leveraged payments to phone makers and carriers, amounting to over $10 billion annually, to create an illegal monopoly over online search. Google contests this claim, asserting that users choose its service for its high quality. The trial also focuses on the contentious issue of default status, with the government seeking to prove that Google holds a monopoly over search. Verizon, a major mobile carrier, testified that it did not seek alternative bids before keeping Google as the default search engine on its phones. Default status is viewed as a powerful tool to maintain a large user base, as consumers generally exhibit bias towards the existing service. The trial has witnessed disagreements between the DOJ and Google over the public release of trial exhibits, resulting in the documents being temporarily taken offline. Judge Amit Mehta is expected to rule on whether the documents can be published again.
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