Search Default Agreement Disclosure Register

PROBLEM: The default search engine on a phone or browser is usually decided by a payment the user never sees. On August 5, 2024, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled in United States v. Google LLC that Google illegally maintained monopolies in general search services and general search text advertising through exclusive distribution agreements, finding Google paid $26.3 billion in 2021 alone to secure default search status with Apple, Samsung, Mozilla, and carriers, which denied rival search engines the query volume needed to compete; the court ordered remedies on September 2, 2025, including data sharing and a ban on exclusive contracts, and Google has appealed.

SOLUTION: Add a search-default agreement disclosure register to IBM Cloud Ideas that records every default-search distribution agreement — the parties, the payment, the exclusivity terms, and the devices and browsers covered — and publishes a public summary so that regulators, rivals, and users can see exactly what was paid to control the default on each platform.

EVIDENCE BASIS: DOCUMENTED — U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, Aug. 5, 2024 (United States v. Google LLC): Google illegally maintained monopolies in general search services and general search text advertising through exclusive distribution agreements; $26.3B paid in 2021 for default status; remedies ordered Sept. 2, 2025. Source: D.D.C. ruling, Aug. 5, 2024.