Following a recent ruling that found Google guilty of illegally monopolizing the online search market, the US Department of Justice is now considering options that include breaking up Alphabet’s Google, which is valued at around $2tn. According to reports from the New York Times and Bloomberg News, one of the remedies being discussed is divesting the Android operating system. Other options include forcing a possible sale of Google’s search ad program, AdWords, and a potential divestment of its Chrome web browser.
A justice department spokesperson stated that they are evaluating the court’s decision and will assess the appropriate next steps in line with the court’s direction and antitrust legal framework. While no decisions have been made yet, Google is planning to appeal the ruling. The tech giant is also facing another antitrust suit set to go to trial next month.
Additional options being considered by the justice department include forcing Google to share data with competitors and implementing measures to prevent it from gaining an unfair advantage in AI products. The recent ruling found that Google had paid companies, including Apple, over $26bn in 2021 alone to secure the default search option in Safari, allowing Google to create a monopoly and stifle competition.
The verdict, which is seen as a big win for federal authorities challenging the dominance of big tech, held that Google violated antitrust laws by creating an illegal monopoly and becoming the default search engine worldwide. This follows previous antitrust suits against Meta Platforms, Amazon, and Apple. Microsoft had also settled with the justice department in 2004 over claims of forcing its Internet Explorer web browser on Windows users.
Source
Photo credit www.theguardian.com
