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Google Faces £5 Billion Class Action Lawsuit in the UK for Abusing Dominance in Search Advertising

by News Editor

April 16, 2025

Google is facing a potential £5 billion ($6.6 billion) lawsuit in the UK over allegations that it leveraged its overwhelming dominance in the online search market to inflate advertising prices. A class action filed on Wednesday in the U.K. Competition Appeal Tribunal accuses Google of using its market power to restrict competition and solidify its monopoly, ultimately making itself the only viable option for online search advertising.

Key Points:

A class action lawsuit filed in the U.K. claims Google exploited its “near-total dominance” in the online search market, driving up prices and hindering competition.
The suit, seeking over £5 billion in damages, targets Google’s search advertising practices from January 1, 2011, to the present.
A 2020 study by the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) revealed Google controls 90% of the search advertising market.

The lawsuit, led by competition law academic Or Brook, represents hundreds of thousands of U.K.-based organizations that used Google’s search advertising services between January 1, 2011, and the present. Brook, who is being represented by Geradin Partners law firm, argues that Google’s monopolistic practices have forced businesses of all sizes to rely on Google’s advertising platform, giving the tech giant unchecked control over online visibility.

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“UK businesses have no choice but to use Google ads to reach customers,” Brook said in a statement. “Google’s monopoly power in search and search advertising has allowed it to overcharge advertisers. This lawsuit seeks to hold Google accountable and secure compensation for UK businesses that have been exploited.”

The class action follows a 2020 investigation by the U.K.’s CMA, which found that Google captured a staggering 90% of the search advertising revenue in the country. The lawsuit claims Google has taken several measures to further suppress competition, including deals with smartphone manufacturers to pre-install its search engine and Chrome browser on Android devices, as well as multi-billion dollar agreements with Apple to make Google the default search engine on Safari.

Moreover, the suit highlights that Google has made its own search advertising tools, like Search Ads 360, more attractive by offering better features than those of its competitors, further consolidating its dominant position.

The legal action adds to a growing list of antitrust challenges faced by Big Tech companies. In 2018, Google was fined €4.3 billion ($4.9 billion) by the European Union for unfairly bundling its Chrome browser and search engine with Android, a penalty it continues to appeal. This latest case underscores the increasing scrutiny of tech giants’ market practices, as regulators globally ramp up efforts to tackle monopolistic behavior in the digital age.

Additionally, the U.K.’s CMA has recently raised concerns about competition in the cloud computing market, with investigations into Amazon and Microsoft underway. The tech sector is clearly under the microscope, with Big Tech firms facing unprecedented legal challenges worldwide.

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Cypriot Government Employment Sees Modest Growth in April

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

May 12, 2025

Total government employment in Cyprus increased by 237 persons, a rise of 0.4 per cent, in April, compared to the same month in 2024, reaching a total of 55,490 employees, according to the state statistical service.

Employment in the civil service and the security forces decreased by 1.2 per cent and 1.1 per cent respectively, while the educational service saw an increase of 3.8 per cent.

Civil Service and Educational Service Breakdown

In April 2025, the civil service employed 11,960 permanent staff, 4,141 employees with contracts of indefinite duration, 1,458 with contracts of definite duration, and 5,798 hourly paid workers.

Permanent employees represented the highest proportion of the civil service workforce at 51.2 per cent, while employees with contracts of definite duration made up the lowest proportion at 6.2 per cent.

In the educational service, there were 12,461 permanent employees, 947 with contracts of indefinite duration, 4,824 with contracts of definite duration, and 141 hourly paid workers.

Permanent staff formed the majority of the educational workforce at 67.8 per cent, while hourly paid workers accounted for only 0.8 per cent.

Security Forces Breakdown

Within the security forces, 8,430 were permanent employees, 4,304 held contracts of indefinite duration, 267 were on definite-duration contracts, and 759 were hourly paid workers.

Permanent employees again made up the largest group in the security forces at 61.3 per cent, with definite-duration contracts representing just 1.9 per cent.