As many of you know, Google lost a landmark antitrust case against the DOJ in the US. The ruling says Google is a monopolist, and the company has been waiting on details how will the US deal with this. Now, the DOJ lawyers said that Google breakup is a possibility.
The DOJ has started proposing solutions on how to “fix” Google’s practices
The Department of Justice has begun proposing solutions on how to “fix” Google’s behavior, and bring back competition to the search engine market. The DOJ issued a 32-page filing, in it’s said that both “behavioral and structural remedies” were considered.
The very first issue mentioned in the document is Google’s control of search distribution. Along with it, the amount of money Google pays to be the default option on platforms like Apple’s iPhone is also a great point of concern.
The DOJ says that “rivals cannot compete for these distribution channels because Google’s monopoly-funded revenue share payments disincentivize its partners from diverting queries to Google’s rivals”.
The DOJ lawyers say that Google breakup is a possibility
What’s very concerning for Google is that the DOJ is considering to force the company to sell off parts of its business. Chrome, Android and Google Play are all options that are being considered.
This is what the document says: “Similarly, Plaintiffs are 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”.
Some other “fixes” are mentioned, as the DOJ is considered to require Google to “provide support for educational-awareness campaigns that would enhance the ability of users to choose the general search engine that suits them best”.
Google issued a prompt response
Google was not happy with what was said in the document, not at all. The company issued a response by saying that the proposed framework “goes well beyond the legal scope of the Court’s decision about Search distribution contracts”.
The company also added that “[s]plitting off Chrome or Android would break them”. Google added that billions of people enjoy the Internet thanks to Chrome and Android being free products. Following that, Google added that only a few companies would have the ability or incentive to keep those products open source or invest in them as much as Google does.
