Good picturesThe US government is considering breaking up Google, America’s largest search engine, accusing it of “harming” Americans.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is considering so-called remedies A landmark court ruling in August Google illegally crushed its competition in online search.
If the DOJ pushes forward with the proposed solutions — and they are accepted by a judge in the case — it would represent the largest regulatory intervention in big tech history.
Google has pushed back hard against the plans, describing them as “extreme” and “sweeping” and saying they “risk impacting consumers, businesses and developers”.
Google has become the go-to search engine for every internet user in the world, accounting for 90% of all online searches.
The DOJ accuses the company of using its other products, such as the Chrome browser and Android platform, to send users to its search engine, where it makes money by selling ads.
“Google’s illegal conduct spanned more than a decade and included many self-reinforcing tactics,” the DoJ said. In a court filing.
It said potential competitors were unable to gain a foothold in the online search market.
It says this lack of competition has allowed Google to charge abnormally high prices for ads “while degrading the quality of those ads and related services.”
The DOJ is “considering solutions to prevent Google from using products like Chrome, Play, etc [its app store]and Android favors Google Search and Google Search-related products”.
The DOJ is expected to submit more detailed proposals by Nov. 20.
Google has until December 20 to submit its own proposed solutions.
What does Google say?
A blog post, Google’s vice president of regulatory affairs, Leigh-Anne Mulholland, said the recommendations were “government overreach” and would result in higher prices for consumers.
Ms Mulholland acknowledges that Google is making its Chrome browser and Android platform free because they are gateways to “help people access the internet and use our products”.
He warns that if they separate from Google, they will have to start making their own money – which could lead to higher prices.
Ms Mulholland argues that by paying companies like Apple and Samsung billions of dollars a year to have the default search engine on their devices, they are effectively subsidizing those products.
So, he says, if they stop paying, the price of those goods will go up.
Google argues that the online advertising market is competitive, citing the Wall Street Journal. Article It says more people are turning to TikTok and Amazon to search instead.
However, the same article states that Google still has 50% of the advertising search market.
