GOOGLE WILL ALLOW rivals to bid on coveted advertising spots that it previously reserved for itself at the top of product search results in Europe, but there are widespread doubts that the move will create meaningful competition.

Source: Wired Magazine

Date: September 28th, 2017

Link: https://www.wired.com/story/googles-search-changes-wont-really-level-playing-field/

Discussion

1) “Google’s plan to auction space at the top of search results could increase costs for consumers and won’t provide “results based on merit or consumer relevance.”  Why does Google have a legal and/or moral obligation to provide “merit” based results?

2) This ruling only applies to Europe.  What does Google do in the U.S. to manipulate search results in its favour?