US DoJ weighs Google breakup to remedy monopoly case: Bloomberg
Make us a preferred source
Make us a preferred source on Google
The news: The US Justice Department (DoJ) has told a federal judge it is considering recommending that Google be forced to sell off parts of its operations to alleviate the harm caused by its monopolisation of the online search market, Bloomberg reported.
The context: In a court filing on Tuesday, antitrust enforcers said judge Amit Mehta could also force the Alphabet subsidiary to provide access to the underlying data it uses to build its search results and artificial intelligence products.
In the filing, the DoJ said it is "considering behavioral and structural remedies that would prevent Google from using products such as Chrome, Play, and Android to advantage Google search and Google search-related products and features — including emerging search access points and features, such as artificial intelligence — over rivals or new entrants".
The filing lays outs a framework of potential options for the judge to consider as the case moves to the remedy phase. The options also include a requirement for Google to give websites more ability to opt out of its AI products, that Google be restricted from investing in search competitors or potential rivals, and to require Google to provide more information and control to advertisers over where their ads appear.
The DoJ said it will provide a fuller proposal on remedies next month. Mehta plans to hold a trial on the proposed remedy next spring and issue a decision by August 2025.
The Justice Department said Google gained scale and data benefits from its illegal distribution agreements with other tech companies that made its search engine the default option on smartphones and web browsers.
The filing represents the US government's first push to dismantle a company for illegal monopolisation since unsuccessful efforts to break up Microsoft two decades ago.
On Monday, a different federal judge ordered Google to open up its app store for the next three years to resolve a separate antitrust case brought by Epic Games.
The source: Bloomberg
