Associate Professor of Political Science Blayne Haggart wrote a piece recently published in the Globe and Mail about an American court’s finding that Google has an illegal online search monopoly and what it could mean for the Canadian government’s efforts to regulate online platforms.

He writes:

“The ruling reinforces what those of us who study online platforms have always taken as a fundamental fact: The desire and ability to monopolize markets largely defines what it means to be a platform.

More concretely and closer to home, confirmation that Google is a monopoly also frames the federal government’s continuing attempts to regulate social media and search engines in a new light. To be blunt, it fully vindicates the government’s regulatory approach with respect to its legislation regulating online culture, online news and, most recently, online harms. If anything, this ruling suggests that Ottawa hasn’t gone far enough.”

Continue reading the full article on the Globe and Mail website.