WORLD NEWS: US GOVT CALLS FOR BREAKUP OF GOOGLE AND CHROME
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In a significant antitrust attack on the internet behemoth, the US government requested a judge late Wednesday to force the sale of Google’s popular Chrome browser, thereby destroying the company.
The US Department of Justice called for a reorganization of Google’s operations in a court petition, which included prohibiting agreements that would make Google the default search engine on cellphones and stopping it from taking advantage of its Android mobile operating system.
In the filing, antitrust investigators stated that if the suggested remedies don’t stop the tech giant from taking advantage of its monopoly over the mobile operating system, Google should also be forced to sell Android.
In reaction to the submission, Kent Walker, president of worldwide affairs at Google, stated that justice authorities “selected to push a radical interventionist agenda.”
The US government’s authorities, who have mostly left computer titans alone since failing to break up Microsoft two decades ago, have made a significant shift by calling for the dissolution of Google.
Competing parties will present their arguments at a hearing before US District Court Judge Amit Mehta in April, and Google is anticipated to provide its suggestions in a filing the following month.
Google is anticipated to appeal the decision, which may take years to resolve and could send the matter to the US Supreme Court, regardless of Judge Mehta’s ultimate decision.
Additionally, President-elect Donald Trump’s January arrival in the White House might turn the argument upside down.
The existing DOJ antitrust division leadership will probably be replaced by his administration.
The newcomers have three options: pursue the case further, approach Google for a settlement, or drop it completely.
Trump’s stance on Google and the power of large tech giants has been erratic.
Although he has accused the search engine of discriminating against conservative content, he has also hinted that the US government would not be able to enforce a forced dissolution of the corporation.
Determining how to address Google’s wrongs is the next stage of the landmark antitrust trial that saw the company in August ruled a monopoly by Judge Mehta.
The proposal “would break a range of Google products” and chill the company’s investment in artificial intelligence, according to Walker.
“DOJ’s approach would result in unprecedented government overreach that would harm American consumers, developers, and small businesses — and jeopardize America’s global economic and technological leadership,” Walker said.
Adam Kovacevich, chief executive of industry trade group Chamber of Progress, said the government’s demands were “fantastical” and defied legal standards, instead calling for narrowly tailored remedies.
The trial, which concluded last year, scrutinized Google’s confidential agreements with smartphone manufacturers, including Apple.
These deals involve substantial payments to secure Google’s search engine as the default option on browsers, iPhones and other devices.
The judge determined that this arrangement provided Google with unparalleled access to user data, enabling it to develop its search engine into a globally dominant platform.
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From this position, Google expanded its tech and data-gathering empire to include the Chrome browser, Maps and the Android smartphone operating system.
The US government currently has five cases pending against big tech over antitrust concerns after the Biden administration adopted a tough stance on reining in the dominance of the companies.
If carried through by the Trump administration, the cases against Amazon, Meta and Apple, as well as two against Google, could take years to litigate.
AFP
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