Google is paying $26 billion to keep this arrangement “hidden.”

Only in 2021, Google It paid Apple, Samsung and other companies $26.3 billion to keep a setting hidden in smartphones and web browsers.

This setting affects who can track your location and see what you search for online. It’s about the information you see and the percentage of the screen occupied by ads. Google pays phone, laptop and browser manufacturers to make it the default and not offer other options during installation.

The US Department of Justice and the US states filed a lawsuit against Google three years ago, claiming this Maintains an illegal monopoly on the online search and advertising markets. Additionally, the plaintiffs argue that Google’s agreements with Apple and other technology companies prevent competitors from claiming an equal share of searches and improving their services.

Google confirms that it always works within the legal framework of competition and that consumers prefer its tools because they are the best and not because they moved to limit competition.

Google Search accounts for more than half of the $283 billion in revenue and $76 billion in net income that Alphabet, Google’s parent company, will record in 2022. Google Search has fueled the company’s growth to a market value of more than $1.7 trillion.

Industry experts estimate that if Google loses, legally, new restrictions could be imposed on the way the company operates.

With information from The Washington Post and Reuters