Google may need to be broken up, according to the US Department of Justice. That would require parent company Alphabet to separate its Chrome browser and Android operating system from the rest of Google. Courts could force companies to do so at the request of the U.S. government.
In August of this year, a judge ruled that Google had an illegal monopoly on search. America’s judiciary, at least the competition watchdog, is now looking for ways to break Google’s power. That would be a big financial loss for the company, but it would theoretically give competitors more room.
Trying to prevent the domination of the AI era
The Justice Department statement said Google needs to break its current advantage to prevent it from extending into “tomorrow.” Specifically, authorities want to prevent Google from using its vast lead in technology to continue to dominate in the AI era, Reuters reports.
The Justice Department could also ask a court to stop Google from preinstalling Google on all kinds of devices, where search engines and other features have become more or less standard technology for many users. Google has paid a lot of money to be the default option on all kinds of devices, from smartphones to laptops to individual browsers. For example, in 2021 the company paid Apple $26.3 billion (about 24 billion euros) for this very reason.
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Google: We only deliver quality
Naturally, Google doesn’t fully agree with these far-reaching plans. The company believes the Justice Department’s proposed solution is a “drastic” approach, saying the measure “goes far beyond the specific legal issues of this case.” Therefore, the company appealed. According to Google, Google is able to dominate the market because it offers high-quality products that people want to use. Moreover, there will already be a lot of competitors to choose from.
Earlier this week, a judge in a separate case ruled that Google must open its Play Store to third parties. These companies also need to be able to offer Android apps through their own storefronts. In yet another case, Google may have to break up its web advertising business.
Also read: US Department of Justice goes after Google: What does the farewell mean?
