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Here are some numbers to keep you up at night, they are very scary: Google controls 91.89% of the search market [1] G controls 68% of the browser market [2]

• giancarlostoro 6y ago
  Honestly about a year ago I decided to switch to an iPhone once the "contract" is up. I have used iOS and I didnt find it anymore special, but it isn't really that much different to me to be bothered by using either one. I will also take that moment to ungooglify my life including email and such.
  • coronadisaster 6y ago
    Apple is only better because it is smaller but it does a lot of the same things and often lies about it... A pure and open Linux phone is the only way that it could get better.
    • mattcrox 6y ago
      "but it does a lot of the same things and often lies about it" Can you provide evidence of this? Not that I don't believe you (nor do I have any financial interest in Apple), but I'm not a fan of seeing baseless accusations on HN.
      • coronadisaster 6y ago
        Sorry, I thought that it was well known... did a quick search and found this: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/oct/18/imessage-qualcast-security-weakness https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/oct/18/imessage-... duck.com for more examples...
        • theshrike79 6y ago
          ”This article is more than 6 years old” At that time Google’s motto was still “Do no evil”...
          • coronadisaster 6y ago
            > At that time Google’s motto was still “Do no evil”... still 2 years after Steve Jobs died which I think had a better moral compass
        • zepto 6y ago
          That isn’t an example at all. It’s a random assertion from a 3rd party with no validation.
          • coronadisaster 6y ago
            so what is an example, according to you?
            • zepto 6y ago
              An example would be them actually being shown to be lying about something factual. Not just someone offering an opposing opinion.
            • dkersten 6y ago
              The onus is on you, the person who made the claim, to find examples that have enough evidence to be taken as factual. I don’t trust any big company and assume they’re all lying, but I trust random online assertions without evidence even less.
    • giancarlostoro 6y ago
      Until there's a proper mainstream one I can buy from my cell provider I don't think I can make such a switch. I need very specific apps on my phone for work.
      • coronadisaster 6y ago
        which app is that if you don't mind me asking?
        • giancarlostoro 6y ago
          I've worked at two different places that had very specific 2 factor apps they used. I wouldn't be able to authenticate anywhere without iOS or Android.
  • subsubzero 6y ago
    I did the same a few years back, use duck duck go for search, iphone for phone, apple maps for directions, firefox|safari|brave for browser, it is really easy to get google out of your life, only thing I am still looking to replace is mail, if anyone has found something that is free(or relatively cheap) and is reliable I'd love to know.
    • tekstar 6y ago
      What is your alternative to YouTube?
      • subsubzero 6y ago
        I can't think of a decent alternative, for learning khan academy is good. Sounds like a source for disruption :)
      • memonkey 6y ago
        PeerTube is one alternative that is recommended.
        • Goronmon 6y ago
          Does PeerTube have an answer to the discoverability problem yet? That's one thing I've noticed in the past. It works if you have a specific URL to click on for a video, but if I just want to "find" a video, that will be relatively difficult.
      • sio8ohPi 6y ago
        Pornhub. https://www.cnet.com/news/gun-channel-moves-to-pornhub-after-youtube-gun-video-ban/ https://www.cnet.com/news/gun-channel-moves-to-pornhub-after...
        • DonHopkins 6y ago
          Then they can actually show what they're compensating for. ;)
• echelon 6y ago
  Tell your legislators you want to see antitrust action taken against Google! They're abusing the hell out of their status. AMP, removal of adblock capability, driving web standards to potentially be more opaque, walled gardens, automated removal and takedown, etc.
  • JAlexoid 6y ago
    If you're using adblock on my website - you're an asshole. You're consuming my work without a just compensation. If it were easy, I'd have my server not serve anyone using an adblock... and instead present them with a paywall... Which you would probably bitch about.
    • Gibbon1 6y ago
      Let be honest. If your ads are stalking and spying on me then you're way more of an asshole.
      • JAlexoid 6y ago
        Don't visit the sites that do that then. See? Magic! No one is obligated to provide you with content on your terms, other than the government.
        • echelon 6y ago
          If I could snap my fingers and remove all of the paywalled sites from the internet, I would. People continue to post them, and all they do is jam the signal. I should be compensated for time wasted clicking on these links and then again on the back button. Until the industry adopts either microtransactions or federated publishing, I won't pay or sign up for most content. It's too inconvenient, and information is nearly infinite. You're just making the opportunity cost differential higher. I have better ways to spend my time. And speaking to the advertising issue, I've never personally bought anything from an ad. They're annoying viruses being leveraged against my consciousness that I didn't consent to. That's bad enough without mentioning the tracking and deceptive practices they employ. The whole economic model is a race to the bottom and is fucked. I'm sorry you're working in such a painful industry. Look at what streaming did to the music industry. It's convenient. I pay monthly and have no ads. Do this please.
• dvduval 6y ago
  These numbers are just for the US. Comparing this to the AT&T break-up is not even similar, because Google has but even bigger market share when you consider their international operations as well.
• SilasX 6y ago
  At risk of nitpicking, why do say "controls" rather than e.g. "services" or "handles"? When you say "controls" it's like you're saying Google has some kind of monopoly power that makes it hard to switch. And yet anyone can easily switch to e.g. DuckDuckGo. If that's a monopoly, it's not quite the kind of a monopoly we should generally be worried about. Browsers would be a different issue. In that case, there are network effects like about what standards are supported and how, which make it difficult to launch a competing browser, even with technological superiority, and in that case, it would be reasonable to worry about too much market share.
  • djsumdog 6y ago
    They do in fact control Android. The open headset alliance means Android is open source in name only. Only tinkerers/hackers use ASOP derivatives by itself (or some foreign manufactures that cannot to offer Google Play services .. or Amazon Fire makers). They dominate the software ecosystem. Although it's not difficult to load 3rd party applications, it's certainly not common. Their removal of the Podcast Addicts app is a great example. Also you cannot interface with things like Android Auto without getting Google's golden approval (so no Android Auto for F-Drop apps) I did a full post on all the gripes I had with Android a few years back, and I think they all still apply: https://battlepenguin.com/tech/android-fragmentation/ https://battlepenguin.com/tech/android-fragmentation/
    • IG_Semmelweiss 6y ago
      Simple add on - i can no longer uninstall any google apps from my droid phone. Best i can do is disable. On this topic. WSJ states DoJ is readying antitrust vs google ij near future. May turn out to be quite an accomplishment if done
      • mrtweetyhack 6y ago
        Then you can buy a different phone without droid
    • rat9988 6y ago
• rdtsc 6y ago
  It is not just monopolistic control of their specific areas of interest. They have had pretty tight integration with the State Department, especially under the previous administration, getting involved in negotiations and all kinds of affairs: https://wikileaks.org/google-is-not-what-it-seems https://wikileaks.org/google-is-not-what-it-seems (quote from there): > Google is getting WH [White House] and State Dept support and air cover. In reality they are doing things the CIA cannot do . . . [Cohen] is going to get himself kidnapped or killed. Might be the best thing to happen to expose Google’s covert role in foaming up-risings, to be blunt. The US Gov’t can then disavow knowledge and Google is left holding the shit-bag.14
  • pmorais 6y ago
    Wikileaks? Really? This isn’t /r/conspiracy. Find a better source.
    • dylan604 6y ago
      Are you saying the document quoted is not real? Sure, the scruples of the site may not be in alignment with yours, but if the data is valid...
      • NathanKP 6y ago
        Wikileaks has a rather infamous history of overstating the significance and meaning of the leaks they publish in ways that is straight up misinformation, or borderline misinformation. I'd take anything they say with a serious grain of salt.
    • rdtsc 6y ago
      What is a better source? Can you show some examples?
• three_seagrass 6y ago
  Your [1] is incorrect. It doesn't even include Baidu, which dominates China and has something like >12% of the world's market share for search engines, so how can Google have 91%?
  • pb7 6y ago
    The source is bullshit. Baidu, the Chinese search engine, has less than 3% market share in Asia? Where Google is banned for over a billion people? Who believes this crap? You might as well have linked to a Facebook comment.
    • yorwba 6y ago
      Like half of those billion people aren't even on the internet. According to the same source, Baidu has 65% of the Chinese search market, which seems about right. https://gs.statcounter.com/search-engine-market-share/all/china https://gs.statcounter.com/search-engine-market-share/all/ch...
• blisterpeanuts 6y ago
  Hm, I've switched to: DuckDuckGo - search Brave - browser Android - you've got me there; but I might switch to Apple next year. Gmail - ditto, but I'm hoping to switch to proton or similar Youtube - alternatives like Bitchute exist for banned videos Fortunately, although the GOOG does have a lot of best-in-class products out there, competition is rising. Consumers benefit from lots of choices.
  • FreedomToCreate 6y ago
    Google biggest advantage (and its the same thing Apple and Microsoft are doing) is integration of services that ultimately make the users life easier. Personally I use a Mac and iPhone and all my data is stored in iCloud. I do a lot of my personal work with MS Office and my email is Gmail. But over time I have found that choosing an ecosystem does benefit you. Recently I switched my work tasks to Google suite products and dropped my Apple TV for an android based solution. The main advantage is now my TV, browser (chrome), gmail, youtube are all synced together. I can watch videos on my tv and save others to pick up on my phone later. I can edit my docs anywhere and link them into my emails easily. I have debated moving from Apples Photos to Google Photos so that my images are all centrally located for my own ease of use and cross platform integration. I still back up all files to a secondary drive and forward copies of important emails to my outlook account in case I ever get locked out of my google account, but the integration is really nice.
• throwaway888abc 6y ago
  Really hope the decentralized tech stack will get there over time. Fingers crossed.
  • tcptomato 6y ago
    Pied Piper?
• pwdisswordfish2 6y ago
  Another one: Over 75,000 people are happily working for G with many more eager to join
• crowbahr 6y ago
  You're toggling between global stats and US specific stats. For example Android is ~52% of the US market. https://www.statista.com/statistics/266572/market-share-held-by-smartphone-platforms-in-the-united-states/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/266572/market-share-held...