A woman passes in front of a large screen displaying a logo during an event held at the Paris Google Lab, which took place alongside the AI Action Summit in Paris on Sunday, February 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, file)
Google is now facing a massive £5 billion lawsuit in the United Kingdom, accusing the tech giant of using its control over online search to shut out competitors and charge higher advertising fees.
Filed at the U.K.’s Competition Appeal Tribunal on Tuesday, the lawsuit claims Google unfairly dominated the search engine market, hurting both rival businesses and advertisers. The case is being brought forward by Or Brook, a competition law expert, representing thousands of affected U.K. businesses.
At the heart of the lawsuit is the claim that Google made secretive deals with mobile phone manufacturers to pre-install its search engine and Chrome browser on Android devices. The lawsuit also alleges that Google paid Apple to make Google Search the default option on iPhones. These moves, the lawsuit says, left very little room for competitors to survive—let alone grow—in the digital ad space.
By having this dominant position, Google could push up the prices for search ads. Businesses, according to the claim, had little choice but to rely on Google to advertise their services. Many of them had to spend heavily just to appear on the first few pages of Google’s search results—something seen as critical for visibility in today's digital economy.
“Businesses simply can’t afford to ignore Google,” Brook explained. “Being visible on Google's search results is essential. And to get there, most companies feel forced to pay Google’s ad prices.”
Brook added that several international watchdogs have already flagged Google as having a monopoly over online search. The complaint further claims that Google improved its search engine to better suit its own ad products while offering fewer features for competitors, making it even harder for rivals to compete.
Google has strongly denied the accusations. A spokesperson for the company called the lawsuit “speculative and opportunistic.” The tech company insists that users and advertisers choose its platform because it's useful—not because they’re being forced.
“We will fight this case vigorously,” the spokesperson said. “People use Google because it delivers results, not because there are no other options.”
The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has also taken notice. In January, the agency launched a separate investigation into how Google’s search services affect the wider advertising market. The CMA said Google controls around 90% of the search market and is used by more than 200,000 businesses in the U.K. to promote their services.
This lawsuit adds to a growing pile of legal challenges against Google worldwide. As regulators tighten scrutiny on big tech, the outcomes of these cases could shape the future of digital advertising and online competition for years to come.
