OPINION: Why are we threatened by Google's monopoly?

- If left uncontrolled, Google will exploit the power of this data for its own benefit. It lays claim to our data and controls everything we know and eventually will use it to its ends; we will end up being means to Google's end

In a remote Italian village nestled within the lush countryside of the seventeenth century, the inhabitants lived simple and unremarkable lives. These villagers were ordinary inhabitants, interdependent, which means they relied on one another for planting, irrigation, and harvesting – tasks that required the collective effort of the entire community. Life was routine, with most expecting to live no more than 30 or 40 years.

- The tale of Gogle the Seed Saver

One fateful day, a hermit with an insatiable curiosity and a peculiar intensity in his goggly eyes arrived in the village. His eyes, always wide and searching, earned him the name "Gogle" among the villagers. Unlike the villagers, Gogle could read and write, a rare skill that made him revered as a man of vast knowledge. He answered their questions about the world with patience and wisdom, quickly becoming a well-respected figure —a lord of knowledge, so to speak.

Gogle was remarkably able to listen, attentively soaking in the stories and concerns of everyone he met. Even the children, considered adults once they could hold a tool around the age of three, found a sympathetic and attentive ear in him. By evening, he would sit and meticulously note down all he had heard, his curiosity never sated.

One day, with his immense knowledge, Gogle made a generous offer to the villagers: He would save their seeds for free. In an era when farming was crucial for their existence, his assistance was a godsend. Many of us now, might not know the painstaking effort involved in seed saving: selecting the healthiest plants, distinguishing heirlooms from hybrids, ensuring proper maturity, and drying the seeds to prevent mould and rot. The process also involved threshing, winnowing, and careful storage in clay pots. Gogle promised to undertake this demanding task for them for free.

The villagers, overwhelmed by his generosity, accepted his offer. Gogle started his work with incredible meticulousness, all while continuing to listen to every villager's tale and noting down each detail at night. Years passed, and the villagers grew accustomed to the ease of using the ready-to-plant seeds Gogle provided for them. He even offered to store the seeds in his well-planned, strategically located, and guarded castle.

But in the meantime, the villagers' comfort made them forget their seed-saving skills. Slowly, they became dependent on Gogle for their seeds. And one day, Gogle asked for payment – not in money, but in parcels of each farmer's land. It seemed a small price to pay for years of free service. Beyond the verge of losing their knowledge of seed-saving, the villagers reluctantly agreed. "Once won't hurt," they thought, then twice, thrice... Until many started working as labourers on lands that once belonged to their families.

As their dependence on Gogle grew, so did his influence. He easily got rid of those who tried to revive their old seed-saving methods that they could remember. Gogle either offered them high prices to sell their techniques or intimidated them with threats, warning the villagers that they wouldn't be able to sow the others' seeds anywhere else since most of the land belonged to him. Additionally, when necessary, with a pacifying and sinister whisper, he began manipulating the villagers, exploiting their secrets and vulnerabilities. He knew, for instance, of Lucia's envy towards her neighbor Giovanna, or Lorenzo's awful animal husbandry skills.

Gogle's deep knowledge of the villagers' weaknesses enabled him to tighten his grip on the village people, strengthening his dominance. The once relatively self-sufficient community now relied entirely on this seemingly benevolent but ultimately insidious man with goggly eyes and a ravenous appetite for power.

In the end, the village found itself at the mercy of Gogle's whims. His initial appearance of generosity had masked an ominous ambition, and the villagers, now subservient, could only seek his guidance on "How to live happily ever after."

- Potential consequences of Google's data concentration

The tale of "Gogle the Seed Saver" has striking parallels with the technology giant Google. Fortunately, US District Judge Amit Mehta has recently ruled that "Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly." [1] This ruling was based on Google's violation of antitrust laws, specifically Section 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act, [2] which prohibits the possession and maintenance of monopoly power without improving the product.

The conclusion that Google is a monopoly has been bleeding obvious for some time. Nonetheless, the judge's decision represents a step towards curbing Google's dominance and holding it accountable for paying companies like Apple and Samsung millions to make Google the default search engine on their products, which, in turn, aims to allow Google to gather even more data, further intensifying its power.

What are the potential consequences of users' data being concentrated in Google's hands? The implications and repercussions are countless. If left uncontrolled, Google will exploit the power of this data for its own benefit. We, the villagers, unknowingly surrender our data to this greedy giant. It then lays claim to our data and controls everything we know and eventually it will turn the data into information and use it to its ends; we will end up being means to Google's end.

As such, on one dystopian day, when we search for the chemical formula of water using Google's search engine, we might receive answers like 'Hb3,' or 'download the app to purchase pure, mineral-enriched water; Wooter,' or worse 'You do not have the necessary credentials to obtain this information'. Such a scenario could lead to a future where we forget fundamental knowledge, forcing us to start from scratch, perhaps even reinventing the wheel.

[1] https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/08/05/technology/google-antitrust-ruling.html

[2] https://www.brattle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/16364_the_intersection_of_market_manipulation_law_and_monopolization_under_the_sherman_act_-_does_it_make_economic_sense.pdf

*The author has a degree from Oxford University and is currently researching ethics in big data and AI at the University of Cambridge.