DOJ proposes potential ways to address Google’s monopoly over internet search

The Department of Justice (DOJ) said Tuesday it may ask questions. alphabet google Sell ​​off parts of the business that have allegedly been used to maintain an illegal monopoly on online search.

A federal judge ruled in August that Google had created an illegal monopoly. internet searchover 90% of which is processed through Google. The Justice Department's proposed remedies could significantly impact how Americans find information on the Internet, while shrinking Google's revenue and giving competitors an opportunity to grow.

“To fully remediate these harms, we must not only end Google's control of distribution today, but also ensure that Google no longer controls distribution tomorrow,” the Justice Department said.

The Justice Department said it may ask a court to force Google to sell its Chrome browser and Android operating system to address monopoly issues. It could also ask a court to halt Google's payments to pre-install its search engine or set it as the default on new devices, or require it to share search data with other competing providers. There is also.

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Prosecutors also indicated they would try to prevent Google from dominating the growing field. Artificial intelligence (AI)This potentially prevents Google from entering into agreements that limit access to AI rivals' content or allowing websites to opt out of Google by using their own content to train AI models. will be done.

Google pays Apple and others every year device manufacturer To maintain market share, they want their search engine to become the default on smartphones and web browsers. In 2021, Google earned $26.3 billion from these payments.

The company criticized the Justice Department's proposal in a blog post on its website, saying, “The government appears to be pursuing an overarching agenda that will impact many industries and products, and will protect consumers, businesses, and U.S. competitiveness.” “will have serious unintended consequences.''

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The Justice Department has outlined possible ways to try to rein in Google's monopoly on internet search. (Photographer: Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Google said they have the following requirements share your data Competitive search queries, clicks, and search results are currently protected by “strict security standards” and “can pose significant privacy and security risks,” the company said. It added that it could lead to copycat products and discourage other companies from innovating in the search space.

He warned that separating Chrome and Android from Google would “destroy them” because Google currently provides them for free on an open source basis.

“Few companies will have the ability or incentive to keep them open source or invest at the same level as we do,” Google said, adding that the changes will open up a wide variety of apps and devices that use them. He added that it would have a ripple effect. This can have a negative impact on your system by making it difficult to patch security bugs.

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Google has rejected the Justice Department's proposed exclusive remedy and will have an opportunity to propose its own solution later this year. (Photo by Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket, Getty Images / Getty Images)

Google also defended its distribution agreements to power Google Search, saying the “unreasonable restrictions” create friction for consumers and “reduce revenue for companies like Mozilla (which reduces their ability to invest in their own browsers).” (lower the average).” android smartphone manufacturer (Cell phone prices may go up).

The tech giant also took issue with potential restrictions on its own AI development, arguing that they would impede competition in technologies “critical to U.S. technological and economic leadership.”

Google writes, “AI business models, much less winners and losers, have yet to be determined, and competition is fierce globally.” “There are significant risks for the government to scale this important industry, distorting investment and disincentivizing it at the very moment we need to encourage investment, new business models, and U.S. technological leadership.” distorting and hindering new business models.” ”

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The Justice Department plans to submit a more detailed proposal to the court by Nov. 20, after which Google will have a chance to propose its own remedies by Dec. 20.

Reuters contributed to this report.