February 18, 2026

Google Watch

DOJ and States to Appeal Google’s Slap on the Wrist in Search Antitrust Case– www.breitbart.com

pgnewser February 4, 2026

Blurb:

The DOJ and multiple states have filed notices to appeal a federal court ruling in the Google Search antitrust case that imposed limited restrictions on the internet giant’s conquest of the search and AI market. The verdict was so friendly to Google that one analyst called it “a home run for the status quo.”

Bloomberg reports that the DOJ and a coalition of states announced Tuesday they will appeal a September 2025 federal court decision that is widely considered to be the best case scenario for Big Tech following a landmark antitrust case. The appeal targets a ruling by US District Judge Amit Mehta that allowed the tech giant to avoid major structural changes despite being found guilty of operating an illegal monopoly in the search market.

Texas AG final­izes $1 bil­lion set­tle­ment with Google for vio­lat­ing Tex­ans’ pri­va­cy rights– www.lifesitenews.com

pgnewser November 5, 2025

Blurb:

The state of Texas has secured an “historic” $1.375 billion settlement agreement with Google

The October 31 announcement from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office marked the conclusion of two of the largest data privacy enforcement actions ever brought by a single state against the tech giant. Paxton sued Google for unlawfully tracking and collecting users’ private data regarding geolocation, incognito searches, and biometric data in 2022.

“This historic $1.375 billion price tag for Google’s misconduct sends a clear warning to all of Big Tech that I will take aggressive action against any company that misuses Texans’ data and violates their privacy,” said Paxton in a press release. “If Big Tech thinks they can get away with abusing user data and illegally spying on Texans without consequences, I will make sure they are proven wrong. This monumental settlement is a testament to my office’s commitment to taking on the biggest companies in the world and securing victory on behalf of Texans.”

“The settlement obtained by Attorney General Paxton for these combined abuses far eclipses that of any other one state’s settlement against Google for similar claims, with the largest single-state settlement to date outside of Texas being $93 million,” declared the AG office.  “Additionally, a forty-state coalition secured $391 million in its privacy case against Google, which is almost one billion dollars less than what Attorney General Paxton secured for Texas alone.”

Google faces unprecedented order to hand over search data to rivals– www.techspot.com

pgnewser September 22, 2025

Google faces unprecedented order to hand over search data to rivals– www.techspot.com
Source Link
Excerpt:

A federal court ruling that forces Google to share parts of its closely guarded search data with rivals has set up a rare test of antitrust enforcement in the digital economy – and sparked serious concerns about the security of personal data. The key question is whether this redistribution will…

Google Chrome - The Fast & Secure Web Browser Built to be Yours

Google Saved by AI in Antitrust Suit

pgnewser September 8, 2025

Google Chrome - The Fast & Secure Web Browser Built to be Yours

At one point, it looked as if Google would be busted up by the Federal government for having a monopoly on search engines. Now, that possibility is gone after U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta ruled Google will not be busted up.

Google avoids breakup as court ruling fuels AI Mode expansion – Digital Watch Observatory
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Excerpt:

A US district judge has declined to order a breakup of Google, softening the blow of a 2024 ruling that found the company had illegally monopolised online search.

The decision means Google can press ahead with its shift from a search engine into an answer engine, powered by generative AI.

Google’s AI Mode replaces traditional blue links with direct responses to queries, echoing the style of ChatGPT. While the feature is optional for now, it could become the default.

That alarms publishers, who depend on search traffic for advertising revenue. Studies suggest chatbots reduce referral clicks by more than 90 percent, leaving many sites at risk of collapse.

Google is also experimenting with inserting ads into AI Mode, though it remains unclear how much revenue will flow to content creators. Websites can block their data from being scraped, but doing so would also remove them from Google search entirely.

Despite these concerns, Google argues that competition from ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI tools shows that new rivals are reshaping the search landscape.

The judge even cited the emergence of generative AI as a factor that altered the case against Google, underlining how the rise of AI has become central to the future of the internet.

Google Chrome - The Fast & Secure Web Browser Built to be Yours

Google Blocks DNC-CCP Dissent from Top Search Results for “Trump Recission Package”

pgnewser June 6, 2025

Google Chrome - The Fast & Secure Web Browser Built to be YoursGuess Who Google Blots Out in ‘Trump Rescission’ Package Search– www.newsbusters.org
Source Link
Excerpt:

Google is once again eliminating right-leaning media outlets and organizations from search results.

MRC researchers searched the words “trump rescission” on Tuesday, the day the Trump administration sent a $9.4 billion rescissions package to Congress that would cut funds to USAID as well as PBS and NPR’s taxpayer funding. Not one of the 14 links the search giant provided led to a right-leaning media outlet or organization.

Instead, Google repeatedly propped up numerous leftist media outlets, including none other than NPR and PBS. Meanwhile, Google excluded Fox News, The Daily Caller and The Heritage Foundation from its search results, even though all three published articles on the topic.

MRC President David Bozell torched the search engine for its blatant bias. “This is just more evidence of how much Google hates Trump and how much it loves propping up these propaganda outlets,” Bozell said. “Google has abandoned any pretense of neutrality. Conservative voices are not merely being suppressed and shoved to the bottom of results, they’re being completely eliminated and erased.”

Nearly 40 percent of the links Google elevated came from NPR and PBS reporting on how they each might be stripped of public funds. In one piece—headlined “Trump asks Congress to claw back $1.1 billion from public media”—PBS tried to defend its taxpayer funding and spread doom and gloom about what might happen should it be pulled. NPR did something similar in another article headlined “Trump asks Congress to wipe out funding for public broadcasting.”

Google to purchase Israel’s Wiz for record $32 billion– gellerreport.com

pgnewser March 19, 2025

Google to purchase Israel’s Wiz for record $32 billion– gellerreport.com
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Excerpt:

The State of Israel continues to flourish. Despite the enormous challenges it faces, Israel continues to develop revolutionary technology that benefits all of humanity. Israel’s tech sector is second only to Silicon Valley, generating billions of dollars each year. Most especially in the fields of Cybersecurity and AI. What contributions have the ‘Palestinians’ made to the world?

Google Tests An AI-Only Version Of Its Search Engine– www.ndtv.com

pgnewser March 7, 2025

Google Tests An AI-Only Version Of Its Search Engine– www.ndtv.com
Source Link
Excerpt:

Alphabet’s Google launched an experimental version of its search engine on Wednesday that completely eliminates its classic 10 blue links in favor of an AI-generated summary.

The new feature, available to subscribers of Google One AI Premium, can be accessed via the results page for any search query by clicking on a tab labeled “AI Mode” to the side of existing options like Images and Maps.

“We’ve heard from power users that they want AI responses for even more of their searches,” Robby Stein, a vice president of product, said in a blog post.

Google One AI Premium is a $19.99 per month plan that provides extra cloud storage and special access to some AI features.

Google currently displays AI Overviews, summaries that are increasingly appearing atop the traditional hyperlinks to relevant webpages, for users in more than 100 countries. It began adding advertisements to AI Overviews last May.

Google Maps is renaming iconic locations per US government directives– www.androidauthority.com

pgnewser January 28, 2025

Google Maps is renaming iconic locations per US government directives– www.androidauthority.com
Source Link
Excerpt:

  • “Gulf of Mexico” is now called ‘Gulf of America’ on US-based Google Maps per government directives.
  • “Denali” mountain has been renamed “Mount McKinley,” prompting debate over historical naming.
  • Google says the decision to rename these locations stems from its long-standing policy to adhere to official name changes.

Google has announced that it’s renaming some iconic locations on Google Maps following directives from the Trump-led US government.

As part of the changes, “Gulf of Mexico” will now be called “Gulf of America” on Google Maps for US users. Outside of the two countries, Google Maps users will see both names on the service.

Google Maps will also rename the famous Alaskan mountain, “Denali,” to “Mount McKinley,” after President William McKinley, the 25th President of the United States.