U.S. regulators have recommended a landmark breakup of Google to curb its dominance in the search engine market, following a court ruling that the tech giant has abused its monopoly for over a decade.
In a 23-page proposal filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), regulators outlined sweeping penalties, including the sale of Google’s Chrome web browser and restrictions on its Android operating system to prevent preferential treatment of its own search engine. The DOJ also called for transparency in Google’s advertising practices and measures to prevent its artificial intelligence (AI) tools from exploiting web content without consent.
Breaking Up Chrome
The DOJ argued that selling Chrome would sever Google’s control over a critical entry point to online searches, giving rival search engines a fair shot at competing. While the filing stopped short of demanding Google divest Android, it warned that such action could be mandated if further misconduct is uncovered.
Key Restrictions
The proposed penalties also include banning Google from:
- Paying billions to make its search engine the default on devices like Apple’s iPhone.
- Favoring its own services, such as YouTube and its Gemini AI platform, over competitors.
- Blocking competitors from accessing search index data to improve their services.
If enacted, the measures could reshape a business expected to generate over $300 billion in revenue this year.
Legal and Industry Reactions
Google’s Chief Legal Officer, Kent Walker, condemned the DOJ’s proposal as a “radical interventionist agenda” that would harm technological innovation and threaten privacy. Meanwhile, competitors like DuckDuckGo praised the measures as necessary to restore competition in the tech sector.
Legal experts, however, have raised concerns about the scope of the DOJ’s recommendations. Syracuse University law professor Shubha Ghosh questioned whether requiring a Chrome spinoff exceeds the boundaries of the case, noting that remedies should be proportional to the proven violations.
Historical Context
The case echoes the antitrust battle against Microsoft in the 1990s when regulators sought to split the company for stifling competition with its Windows operating system. Although an appeals court overturned that breakup order, the precedent looms large as U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta prepares to rule on Google’s penalties.
Timeline and Outlook
Judge Mehta, who declared Google a monopolist in August, is set to hold hearings on the proposed remedies in April, with a final decision expected by Labor Day. Should the breakup order stand, Google will likely appeal, prolonging a legal battle that has already spanned four years.
The DOJ’s recommendations mark one of the most aggressive antitrust actions against a tech giant in decades, signaling the Biden administration’s determination to curb monopolistic practices in the digital economy.
