Alphabet Inc’s Google must sell its Chrome browser, share data and search results with rivals, and take other measures — including possibly selling Android — to end its monopoly on online search, prosecutors argued in a US court on Wednesday.
Such changes could result in Google being regulated for as many as 10 years via a committee appointed by the Washington federal court that ruled it held an illegal monopoly in search and related advertising in the US.
The measures presented by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) are part of a landmark case which has the potential to reshape how users find information. In the US, Google processes 90 percent of searches.
Photo: Josh Edelson / AFP
“Google’s unlawful behavior has deprived rivals not only of critical distribution channels but also distribution partners who could otherwise enable entry into these markets by competitors in new and innovative ways,” the DOJ and state antitrust enforcers said in a court filing on Wednesday.
Their proposals include ending exclusive agreements in which Google pays billions of dollars annually to Apple Inc and other device vendors to make its search engine the default on their tablets and smartphones.
The filing expands on an earlier outline on how the government wants to end Google’s monopoly in the US. Google called the proposals radical at the time, saying they would harm US consumers and businesses and shake US competitiveness in artificial intelligence.
US District Judge Amit Mehta has scheduled a trial on the proposals for April, though US president-elect Donald Trump and the DOJ’s next antitrust head could step in and change course in the case.
The proposals are wide-ranging, including barring Google from re-entering the browser market for five years and insisting Google sell its Android mobile operating system if other remedies fail to restore competition. The DOJ has also requested a prohibition on Google buying or investing in search rivals, query-based artificial intelligence products or advertising technology.
A five-person technical committee appointed by the judge would enforce compliance under prosecutors’ proposals. The committee, which Google would pay for, would have the power to demand documents, interview employees and delve into software code, the filing showed.
The measures together are meant to break “a perpetual feedback loop that further entrenches Google” through additional users, data and advertising dollars, prosecutors said.
Google would have a chance to present its own proposals next month.
Prosecutors crafted the proposals after speaking with companies that compete with Google, including search engine DuckDuckGo.
“We think this is a really big deal and will lower the barriers to competition,” DuckDuckGo’s head of public affairs Kamyl Bazbaz said.
DuckDuckGo has accused Google of trying to dodge European Union rules requiring data sharing. Google said it would not compromise user trust by giving competitors sensitive data.
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