After winning its antitrust case against Alphabet, the Department of Justice is now pushing to make the tech giant sell its Chrome browser. This follows a court ruling from August 2024 that found Alphabet engaged in anti-competitive practices to keep control over the online search market.
Judge Amit Mehta’s decision highlighted how Alphabet paid billions to make Google the default search engine on popular devices like those from Samsung and Apple. The DOJ aims to tackle Alphabet’s approach of preloading its apps on Android devices and is proposing “behavioral and structural remedies” to prevent it from favoring Google Search through its products, including Chrome and the Google Play Store.
Bloomberg reports that the DOJ might ask the judge to compel Alphabet to divest Google Search as a remedy. Kent Walker, Google’s president of global affairs, criticized the DOJ’s plans, calling them “staggering” and suggesting they interfere too much with the company’s operations. He argued that these measures could harm U.S. technology leadership and negatively impact American consumers who rely on Google’s services.
Walker raised concerns over the potential risks to security and privacy, stating that the proposed remedy might expose personal search data to various companies. He also pointed out threats to Mozilla’s Firefox, which relies on financial arrangements with Google for search placement.
As Alphabet anticipates increased government scrutiny, they emphasize the importance of investing in artificial intelligence, which Walker described as crucial for innovation. Google’s regulatory affairs VP, Lee-Anne Mulholland, warned that government intervention could disrupt the AI sector, compromising investments at a critical time.
This legal battle reflects broader regulatory issues, including a recent ruling from the Court of Justice of the European Union that upheld a hefty fine against Google for its dominance in shopping comparison services.
Looking ahead, the direction the DOJ takes under president-elect Donald Trump will be pivotal. Daniel Castro from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation urged the new administration to create a regulatory environment that promotes innovation, especially in AI, and to work with Congress on a streamlined framework for consumer data protection, avoiding a chaotic patchwork of state regulations.