Relatedly, on most browsers, you cannot choose the search engine you use. They give you a small list.

This is an issue for e.g. Kagi or other non-standard search engine.

With safari, edge, and chrome, you can use a janky extension to redirect it - at least on desktop.

Edge tends to be the most hostile here - when updated, it automatically switches your search engine to bing search and disables the extension. It is nice enough to tell you that they switched your search engine but no button to switch it back.

These practices are obviously monopolistic - using their dominance in one area to limit consumer choice in another. And it is significant because these tools are how we know about the world and communicate.

A cambrian explosion of unshitified apps that put the consumer first is due if we can ever get some blanket effective legislation against gatekeeping.

This could have huge secondary effects. A less manipulated population is probably a more civil, more effective one. It's something to be hopeful of. If only we could only get it right.