The US government has rekindled its pressure to break Google, the Ministry of Justice (DOJ) reaffirming its request on Friday that the technology giant sells its popular Chrome browser to restore competition on the digital market.
The latter decision adds a new emergency to the long antitrust battle against Google, which was noted last year for having maintained an illegal monopoly on internet research.
The Renewed Call of the DoJ to a break is part of a broader strategy to respond to what it described as the status of Google “Economic Goliath”, accusing the company of taking advantage of its domination of the market to stifle competition and harm consumers.
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“Google’s illegal driving has created an economic goliath, which wreaked havoc to the market to guarantee that – whatever happens – Google is still winning. US consumers and companies suffer from Google’s driving, “said the DOJ in a legal file.
National security concerns in the mixture
For his defense, Google previously argued that the rupture of its activities could have serious implications on national security. The company claims that its integration of research, browser and artificial intelligence capacities (AI) improves its ability to protect data and thwart threats of cybersecurity.
Google’s spokesperson Peter Schottenfels has reiterated this position, suggesting that the DoJ’s proposals are not only excessive but also potentially harmful to national interests.
“Doj’s radical proposals continue to travel miles beyond the court’s decision and would harm American consumers, the economy and national security,” said Schottenfels.
Google argued that the separation of its browser activity from its search engine could make the Internet ecosystem more vulnerable to operating by malicious actors. The company argues that its robust infrastructure, which closely integrates research with other services, offers a unique defense against threats.
A changing research landscape
The last Doj’s push for a google breakup occurs while competition on the research market is starting to warm up. OPENAI, the AI research laboratory behind the popular Chatbot Chatgpt, recently introduced research feature, allowing users to access real -time web information directly via its AI tool.
The introduction of OPENAI research capacities has been considered by many as a potential challenge to Google’s domination. Some experts believe that if OpenAi’s research tool is gaining ground among its millions of chatbot users, it could start to keep Google’s taking on the research market.
However, Google’s domination in the web research market remains great, with more than 90% of the market share. This rooted position has an important barrier for new entrants, including OpenAI, which should not only innovate, but also overcome the deep integration of Google’s research services between devices, browsers and platforms.
Doj’s strategy
The DoJ has suggested that a forced sale of chrome could help level the rules of the game, which gives rival search engines better access to a browser that serves as a “gateway to the Internet” for many users. In addition to disinvesting Chrome, the DoJ proposed to ask Google to implement a “choice screen” on its browsers, allowing users to select their preferred search engine when no defect is defined.
This screen strategy of choice reflects a similar measure adopted in Europe, where regulators demanded that Google present Android users with a selection of search engines. Although the approach has had some success in increasing competition, it has not considerably shaken the market share of Google.
The last proposition of the DoJ maintained most of the remedies suggested during the Biden administration, although it has softened its position in certain regions. For example, the government no longer requires the sale of Google’s artificial intelligence investments, which could indicate a more targeted accent on the research and browser markets.
Google’s countermeasures
In response to DoJ’s requests, Google proposed to restructure its commercial contracts with manufacturers of mobile devices and wireless operators. The Company also intends to appeal the antitrust decision by judge Amit Mehta of the American district court for the District of Columbia.
Google maintains that its commercial practices benefit consumers by providing faster and more relevant research results and that the company’s breakdown would create confusion and reduce the quality of Internet services. The technology giant maintains that rather than protecting competition, a forced disintegration of chrome could fragment the browser market and undermine user experiences.
Increasing pressure on large technologies
A potential break by Google would mark one of the most important antitrust actions in the history of the United States, creating a precedent that could have an impact on other technological giants such as Meta, Amazon and Apple. These companies were also faced with a meticulous examination of their domination of the market and their business practices.
If the Trump administration’s push succeeds, it could embrace regulators both at the national and international level to pursue more aggressive actions against monopolistic practices in the technology sector. The European Union, which has already inflicted a fine on Google Billions for anti -competitive behavior, could take other measures to limit its domination.
The audience of the April court will be a critical moment in this battle, with Google and the Doj presenting their arguments on the best way to respond to concerns concerning market competition.
