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The European Parliament's resolution to break up Google is the wrong
approach to increasing online competition, writes DW's Jörg Brunsmann.
Making the Internet giant smaller doesn't make the competition bigger.
Word has even made it to the
European Parliament:
Google doesn't leave the competition much of a chance. And the MEPs are
right - anyone who thinks they can start up a search engine, mapping or
video service might as well toss their money out the window because
they really won't stand a chance against Google's dominance.
But that does not mean you can blame Google, and threaten to break up the company. Google's dominance didn't arise from the company employing unfair measures to push its competitors out of the market. It's become a market leader because of its innovation.
Granted, the Internet giant is hardly an innocent lamb. And perhaps the old, self-ascribed Google motto "Don't be evil" may not be completely applicable anymore. The company has always made the most of its opportunities, expanding into PCs, smartphones, and other fields, or trying to set the tone for the future with products such as Google Glass. But Google has always been innovative, and has not avoided the consequences of its missteps. Frankly, Google has managed to keep a better grasp than its competitors on users' desires and interests. That's the basis for the 90 percent market share that the corporation has in many European countries today.
Green with envy
DW journalist Jörg Brunsmann
That a company can earn billions in the bulk trade of data and
that Google is now swimming in the kind of money that makes the
competition green with envy, and that these competitors are now turning
to politicians for help is more of a historic stroke of luck for the
company rather than the result of a master plan. In its infancy, Google
was a student company that wanted to help Internet users make the most
of a rapidly expanding Internet.
Google was at the right place at the right time with the right idea. And that is now paying off - not just for the company but also for me as a user. When I type a street address into a search engine, I expect to be shown a map of the address' surroundings. Should I be happy that useful maps and satellite images also happen to be part of Google and that I can get the information I want with a single click? Or should I bemoan the dominance of Google?
Are Internet users ignorant?
The EU parliamentarians' argument that Google dominates the search engine business is correct. But the conclusion they draw from that fact is wrong. The MEPs act as if they've never heard of alternatives for Internet users such as Yahoo, Bing, or Duck Duck Go. Do they really think we are that ignorant or that we're simply incapable of switching to a different search engine?
I'm familiar with these search engines as well as a number of other services - and the results I get there are simply not as good as what Google gives me. That's the only reason why I remain loyal to the colorful Internet giant from Mountain View, California.
It doesn't have to be a marriage that lasts forever. Google's dominance is not written in stone, and every alternative on the Internet is a maximum of two clicks away. But if the EU wants to make Google smaller so that the competition appears larger, then it is going about it all wrong.
But that does not mean you can blame Google, and threaten to break up the company. Google's dominance didn't arise from the company employing unfair measures to push its competitors out of the market. It's become a market leader because of its innovation.
Granted, the Internet giant is hardly an innocent lamb. And perhaps the old, self-ascribed Google motto "Don't be evil" may not be completely applicable anymore. The company has always made the most of its opportunities, expanding into PCs, smartphones, and other fields, or trying to set the tone for the future with products such as Google Glass. But Google has always been innovative, and has not avoided the consequences of its missteps. Frankly, Google has managed to keep a better grasp than its competitors on users' desires and interests. That's the basis for the 90 percent market share that the corporation has in many European countries today.
Green with envy
DW journalist Jörg BrunsmannGoogle was at the right place at the right time with the right idea. And that is now paying off - not just for the company but also for me as a user. When I type a street address into a search engine, I expect to be shown a map of the address' surroundings. Should I be happy that useful maps and satellite images also happen to be part of Google and that I can get the information I want with a single click? Or should I bemoan the dominance of Google?
Are Internet users ignorant?
The EU parliamentarians' argument that Google dominates the search engine business is correct. But the conclusion they draw from that fact is wrong. The MEPs act as if they've never heard of alternatives for Internet users such as Yahoo, Bing, or Duck Duck Go. Do they really think we are that ignorant or that we're simply incapable of switching to a different search engine?
I'm familiar with these search engines as well as a number of other services - and the results I get there are simply not as good as what Google gives me. That's the only reason why I remain loyal to the colorful Internet giant from Mountain View, California.
It doesn't have to be a marriage that lasts forever. Google's dominance is not written in stone, and every alternative on the Internet is a maximum of two clicks away. But if the EU wants to make Google smaller so that the competition appears larger, then it is going about it all wrong.