The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has put forward a series of recommendations to alter Google’s business practices to curb its monopoly in the search engine market. Among the potential actions under consideration, the DOJ is exploring the possibility of requiring Google to divest some key products, such as the Chrome browser and the Android operating system.
These proposed measures come in response to a court ruling from August 2023, where Google was found to be engaging in illegal monopolistic practices. The court concluded that Google’s dominance in the search market was largely driven by exclusive agreements with major manufacturers like Apple and Samsung, ensuring its search engine was prioritized on their devices.
The list of recommendations was made public on Tuesday, October 8, and was signed by Judge Amit Mehta, overseeing the case.
What the US Court considers for Google
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has outlined several “behavioral and structural recommendations” to prevent Google from leveraging products like Chrome, Play, and Android to maintain its dominance in the search engine market. It’s important to note that these recommendations are not yet official penalties but are being considered as antitrust measures in the ongoing case.
Some of the potential actions include:
- Forcing Google to sell off units such as Android and Chrome;
- Ending financial agreements with device manufacturers that make Google the default search engine;
- Implementing a “choice screen” on devices that allows users to select their preferred default search engine;
- Google is required to share search data and algorithms with competitors, with appropriate privacy safeguards.
According to Judge Amit Mehta, the goal of these recommendations is to break Google’s current control over search distribution and prevent it from maintaining such control in the future.
However, this process will likely take time. The court will review the recommendations, and Judge Mehta plans to issue a final decision by August 2025, as reported by CNBC. In the meantime, Google is expected to appeal the ruling, which could extend the legal battle for several more years.
Google talks about the “persecution agenda.”
In response to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) recent recommendations, Google issued a public statement on Wednesday, October 9, signed by Lee-Anne Mulholland, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs. Google confirmed it will challenge the DOJ’s proposals in court next year, calling the suggested changes “radical” and expressing concern that the requests extend beyond the core legal issues of the case.
The company suggested that the DOJ’s actions seem more like a “persecution agenda” from the U.S. government rather than a focused effort to address distribution contracts for search engines.
Google provided detailed counterpoints to each of the DOJ’s recommendations:
- Google argued that releasing search data would create privacy and security risks, potentially leading to a proliferation of copycat search engines rather than encouraging innovation.
- Regarding the potential forced separation of Android and Chrome, Google warned that splitting its platforms could “break” them, making them unsustainable. The company claimed that few organizations have the resources or motivation to maintain these products as open source or invest in them as Google does.
- Google also raised concerns about how the DOJ’s actions could negatively affect the relationship between consumers and businesses using search and the development of artificial intelligence in the U.S.
This response comes as Google faces another legal setback in its battle with Epic Games over the dominance of the Play Store on Android. A U.S. court recently ruled the Play Store a monopoly, requiring Google to allow third-party app stores access to its entire catalog of apps.
These legal challenges highlight growing scrutiny over Google’s dominance in various markets, from search to app distribution, as the company navigates ongoing antitrust battles.
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