Google is receiving pressure from the US Department of Justice to break up as part of its response to its market dominance of over 90%.
After a court ruled that Google had maintained an abusive monopoly over the last decade, regulators are striving to limit its control over key services. Among the major proposed punishments is the sale of the Google Chrome web browser, which means eliminating Google from controlling a crucial gateway to the internet for most.
US DOJ's Punishment for Google's Monopoly
The sale of Chrome would provide competitors with an opportunity to reach the platform's market cap, AP News reported. The regulators also seek to control Google's Android operating system in such a way that it is no longer biased toward the search engine that Google owns. Although the sale of Android is not expected anytime soon, the Justice Department has indicated that if abuse continues Google may have to divest itself of Android.
Aside from the sale of Chrome, the Justice Department is looking to restrict Google's ability to sign multibillion-dollar deals that see the search giant retain its default position on iPhones and similar devices. This will prevent Google from shoring up its defenses against its rivals.
Read More: US DOJ Considers Breaking up Google Over Monopoly Concerns; Company Warns It Would Harm Consumers
For now, the immediate punishment for Google is that it's expected to be stopped from favoring internal services, for instance, YouTube and its AI system Gemini, in search results.
Another major demand is that Google gives access to the search index data it retrieves from the users to its competitors. Doing so would make it easier for competitors to compete with the dominant platform Google. Regulators also ask for more transparency in how Google determines its advertising prices so that businesses would clearly understand the associated cost of top search results.
Despite the Justice Department's proposal of a spectrum of punishment, the judge may not agree with these measures. The case will be heard in court in April, and if the judge adopts the proposed actions, Google could be compelled to sell Chrome within six months. But Google is likely to appeal against any decision, thus prolonging the legal battle.
It echoes another similar legal challenge faced by Microsoft over two decades ago. That was when Microsoft was accused of using its Windows operating system to strangle competition, according to CUTS International. Although it did not get broken up, it marked an antitrust case that could impact the course of the current case against Google.
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