New Delhi, August 29: Yelp has reportedly filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google, accusing the search engine giant of unfair practices in the online search industry. As per reports, the antitrust lawsuit, filed in federal court, claims that Google is using its dominant position in the search engine market to suppress competition and harming businesses like Yelp that rely on search visibility. According to reports, Google's alleged practices have impacted its business, leading to unfair advantages for Google's own services.

As per the information available on the official blog post, Yelp has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google in federal court in San Francisco. The lawsuit alleges that Google has been unfairly promoting its own services in search results and pushing down competitors. Yelp reportedly claims that Google's search engine practices are anti-competitive and also unfavourable to customers, who may not be getting the most relevant search results due to Google's alleged manipulation. Google Meet New Update: Tech Giant Rolls Out ‘Take Notes for Me’ Feature To Automatically Capture Notes During Meetings.

For a long time, Google has been the main search engine that most people use, with about 90% of the market share. However, Yelp is concerned about competition and wants to protect consumer choice. They also want to recover damages and prevent Google from using unfair practices that limit innovation.

On desktop computers, about one-third of the approximately 9 billion daily Google searches are related to local information. On mobile devices, this number increases to almost half. When someone searches for something local on Google, the search results are manipulated to prioritise Google's own local search options over those of its competitors. Meta To Shut Down Spark Studio’s Third-Party AR Effects, Content and Tools From January 14, 2025, Focus on Products Addressing Future Customer Needs.

As per reports, Google exempts itself from the ranking system it uses for other websites. Instead of competing fairly with companies like Yelp, Google has made its own offerings so prominent that more and more searches end without users clicking on any other website. According to reports, Google's preference for its own services also affects advertisers negatively. By prioritising its own offerings, Google limits competition in the market for local search advertising. It means that more local advertisers end up using Google's advertising services. In response, Google spokesperson Peter Schottenfels reportedly said, "Google will vigorously defend against Yelp’s meritless claims.”

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 29, 2024 06:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).