US Might Legislate To Break Up Google

Uploaded on 2024-10-09 in FREE TO VIEW

Google faces the threat of being broken up, as the US government aims to change its monopoly in online search.

The US government says it is considering whether to ask a judge to break up search engine giant Google, in a move that could reshape how technology giants do business.

The Department of Justice (DoJ) says the measures may include "structural requirements” to prevent Google from maintaining its Internet search "monopoly".

“Google’s anticompetitive conduct resulted in interlocking and pernicious harms that present unprecedented complexities in a highly evolving set of markets.

“These markets are indispensable to the lives of all Americans, whether as individuals or as business owners, and the importance of effectively unfettering these markets and restoring competition cannot be overstated,” says the US District Court of Columbia document.

Google has responded saying that these potential changes could have unintended consequences for US businesses and consumers.

The DoJ's announcement comes after a court ruled in August that found Google had maintained its dominance of online search through illegal practices.

The DoJ also said that it is considering "remedies that would prevent Google from using products such as Chrome, Play, and Android to advantage Google search and Google search-related products".

Google’s vice president of regulatory affairs, Lee-Anne Mulholland, said in a blog that the recommendations constitute "government overreach".
The August court decision in was serious for Alphabet, Google's parent company.

Google had been accused of paying billions of dollars a year to firms, including Apple and Samsung, to ensure it was their default search engine.

Google's lawyers said that users use the engaging search engine and that Google will make it better for consumers.

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