Important points
- The Justice Department is proposing to break up Google, limit default search engine agreements, and share search data to level the playing field.
- It suggests separating Chrome and Android.
- Google has criticized the Justice Department’s changes, saying they could harm consumers, businesses and security.
In August, Federal Court Judge Amit P. Mehta ruled that Google is an illegal monopoly because of its anticompetitive practices in monopolizing the search engine market. At the time, Judge Mehta did not offer a solution to ending Google’s monopoly. Instead, both Google and the Department of Justice were tasked with proposing possible solutions. The US Department of Justice is currently sharing a proposed solution that includes breaking up Google and separating Chrome and Android.
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In its filing, the Department of Justice notes that “Google uses products such as Chrome, Play, and Android to develop Google Search and Google Search-related products and features, including new search access points and features, including: We propose “behavioral and structural remedies to prevent access.” Artificial intelligence outperforms rivals and new entrants. ”
It also proposes restricting Google’s default search engine, pre-installation, and revenue-sharing agreements because they block other small businesses’ access to major sources. Court documents have already revealed that Google paid Apple a whopping $20 billion to be Safari’s default search engine in 2022.
Additionally, the Department of Justice requires Google to make its search data, feeds, and models available to competitors via APIs to ensure a level playing field. Additionally, it wants to limit how Google uses AI in its search results by scraping content from third parties. The Justice Department has proposed that websites should have the option to opt out of Google Search’s AI training tools and other AI-powered features.
The Justice Department has proposed more sweeping changes to Google’s advertising business. You can read the full proposal here.
Google hits back at the Justice Department
Google has published a blog post responding to the fundamental changes proposed by the Department of Justice and highlighting how they will harm consumers, businesses, and developers.
Leanne Mulholland, Google’s vice president of regulation, said in a post that separating Chrome and Android would break them and harm the devices and businesses that depend on them. Features like Play Protect and Chome’s Safe Browsing also rely on multiple Google services for threat detection, making these two platforms less secure.
Mulholland also pointed out that forcing Google to share search queries and data with competitors could pose serious privacy and security risks to users. Although the company currently protects this data, there is no guarantee that it will not be used for user profiling if a third-party provider gains access to it.
Regarding Google’s default search agreements with companies like Samsung and Apple, Mulholland said unnecessary restrictions would “create friction for people who just want to easily find information.” This will also have a negative impact on smartphone vendors’ profits, forcing them to increase the prices of their smartphones.
But don’t expect anything to happen immediately based on the Justice Department’s proposal. Google has confirmed it will provide a detailed response to the Justice Department’s proposal in court next year. Therefore, this legal battle is likely to continue for several years.
