Google Hit With £5B UK Lawsuit Over Online Search Monopoly

Google is facing a landmark £5 billion class action lawsuit in the UK, accused of abusing its dominance in the search engine market to overcharge advertisers. The case, filed by competition law expert Or Brook, could reshape how tech giants operate in the digital ad space.

Google is facing a massive legal challenge in the United Kingdom, where it has been hit with a £5 billion (approximately $6.6 billion) class action lawsuit over allegations that it abused its dominance in the online search market to inflate advertising prices. The lawsuit, filed at the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London, accuses the tech giant of using exclusive contracts and platform control to edge out competition and entrench its monopoly, hurting thousands of UK businesses in the process.

At the center of the case is a claim that Google struck deals with mobile phone manufacturers to pre-install its search engine and Chrome browser on Android devices by default. Additionally, the company is accused of paying Apple to make Google the default search engine on iPhones. These practices, the lawsuit argues, gave Google an unparalleled advantage in online visibility and advertising reach, which it then leveraged to charge higher prices for ads appearing in search results.

The claim was filed by Or Brook, a competition law expert acting on behalf of UK-based businesses that relied heavily on Google’s advertising ecosystem to promote their products and services. According to Brook, companies had "almost no choice" but to use Google Ads if they wanted visibility in a search market dominated by the company’s algorithms. She stated that the lawsuit is about more than just pricing; it’s about a systemic advantage that locked out competitors and allowed Google to dictate the rules of online visibility.

“Regulators around the world have described Google as a monopoly,” Brook said. “And for many businesses, appearing on Google’s top pages is the difference between thriving and disappearing.” She further argued that Google’s actions created a false sense of competition while funneling businesses into a single, controlled advertising channel that lacked viable alternatives.

For its part, Google has dismissed the case as unfounded. A company spokesperson labeled it “yet another speculative and opportunistic” lawsuit, insisting that Google’s services are used because they’re effective, not because there are no alternatives. “We will argue against it vigorously,” the spokesperson said, pointing to Google’s continued innovation and user satisfaction as the real drivers behind its market dominance.

But this legal challenge comes at a time when Google is under increasing scrutiny globally. In January, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched an investigation into the company’s practices around online search and advertising. The CMA noted that Google accounts for more than 90% of online searches in the UK and that over 200,000 British businesses depend on its platform to reach customers, raising concerns about how fair and competitive the digital advertising landscape is.

While antitrust investigations and fines are nothing new for Google, the company has faced multiple billion-euro penalties from the European Union and mounting legal pressure in the United States, this class action lawsuit marks a significant development in the UK. Unlike regulatory probes that often result in structural remedies or fines paid to governments, this case could lead to direct compensation for the businesses that claim to have been harmed by Google's advertising dominance.

The outcome of this case could set a precedent for how digital monopolies are challenged in the UK and beyond. If successful, it may open the door for similar lawsuits against other tech giants, fundamentally reshaping the balance of power in digital markets. And if nothing else, it signals a growing appetite among businesses and regulators alike to rein in the influence of companies that have long dictated the terms of the digital economy.