Breaking up Google to restore search competition is on the table, says DOJ

[zohaibahd]

The big picture: After Judge Amit Mehra ruled that Google is an illegal monopoly, the Department of Justice is now now crafting plans to curb its dominance and promote competition. They're not holding back on the possible remedies either, with the nuclear option of a corporate breakup on the table.

According to a new 32-page filing, the DOJ is considering both "behavioral and structural remedies" to correct Google's anti-competitive practices. And when they say structural, they really mean it – DOJ lawyers are floating the idea of forcing Google to offload major products like Chrome, Android, or the Google Play Store.

The central issue is Google's tight grip on search distribution. The DOJ argues that rivals cannot realistically compete for premium search access points because Google's monopoly money lets it pay massive revenue-sharing fees to partners like Apple and Samsung to be the default search option. They contend that no startup can compete with these "monopoly-funded revenue share payments."

Search distribution is just one piece of the puzzle, though. The DOJ is also considering potential remedies that would prevent Google from unfairly advantaging its own search and AI products over competitors in emerging areas like AI-powered search.

"Fully remedying these harms requires not only ending Google's control of distribution today, but also ensuring Google cannot control the distribution of tomorrow," the Justice Department said.

Some of the more creative proposals include requiring Google to fund public awareness campaigns educating users on alternative search engines. The DOJ is also considering forcing Google to share the data indexes, models, and proprietary technology that power its search and AI capabilities.

Unsurprisingly, Google is strongly pushing back. In a blog post, the company criticized the DOJ's proposals as going too far – claiming they go far beyond the case's scope of search distribution contracts – and claimed that divesting products like Chrome and Android would "break them" while depriving billions of access to those free services.

"This case is about a set of search distribution contracts. Rather than focus on that, the government seems to be pursuing a sweeping agenda that will impact numerous industries and products, with significant unintended consequences for consumers, businesses, and American competitiveness," Google noted.

Nevertheless, some of Google's long-time critics support the proposed remedies. Review platform Yelp, which has its own antitrust beef with Google, is advocating for the spinoff of the Chrome browser and pushing for restrictions on Google's promotion of its own business listings in local search results.

While a full-blown corporate breakup is still seemingly a nuclear option, how far the crackdown will ultimately go remains to be seen.

Permalink to story:

Breaking up Google to restore search competition is on the table, says DOJ

 

[VariableSpike]

Spin off Chrome and Android, and then maybe they can keep the play store if they are in a market of multiple app store offerings and there is true competition without Google's grubby fingers getting in the way, but its Google, where the "don't be evil" motto has been sent to narnia, so maybe just make them drop it all, YouTube is another key point to consider as well for yet another thing Google owns that is used to funnel tons of data into its search and importantly advertising algorithms.

 

[Dimitriid]

Google are the ones who went too far when they decided to "update" to Manifest V3 mostly just to kill adblockers: It has proven that you cannot trust a search engine, a web browser developer, a mobile operative system and a company dedicated to sell advertising spots to actually keep those realms separated and not try to abuse their leadership position on all 4 fields to jam ads down everybody's throats: They should be broken up.

 

[WhoCaresAnymore]

As a search engine, Google is politically biased. it has a monopoly on searches, thus sets a dangerous precedence on misinformation.

Google is a great concept, with terrible guidance.

 

[Dimitrios]

1984

 

[Mr Majestyk]

Entire company needs to be dismantled. Break them up into several companies with all new boards and the AI division needs to have a board of public experts. Search needs to be removed from the corporate culture entirely, and there should be no focus on ad-revenue. Search division should not have any Google employees in senior positions.

 

[AlexIL]

Make YouTube great again

 

[ccccn]

As a search engine, Google is politically biased. it has a monopoly on searches, thus sets a dangerous precedence on misinformation.

Google is a great concept, with terrible guidance.

100% correct . Google will ONLY LINK you to government affiliated pro mainstream media sources . They will NEVER EVER link you to sites that go against the mainstream narrative . Google labels all websites that go against the mainstream media narrative as misinformation when it's a not misinformation at all.

Best way to know the truth is to seek out the sites google says is misinformation , those will tell you the real truth and the sites that google says are legit and trustworthy ARE NEVER EVER TRUSTWORTHY.

 

[Dimitrios]

YouTube keeps removing my comments when I was asking why can't they use drones at Trumps rallies. This was happening when asking about drones during the hurricane too. Youtube removes my comment on why Bama lied in the police report about the chef. Look up Tom Fitton FOIA (Judicial Watch). It was finally released a few months back.

 

[Hotlynx16]

YouTube keeps removing my comments when I was asking why can't they use drones at Trumps rallies. This was happening when asking about drones during the hurricane too. Youtube removes my comment on why Bama lied in the police report about the chef. Look up Tom Fitton FOIA (Judicial Watch). It was finally released a few months back.

Youtub owned by the Demonrat stoolies, constant censorship!!

 

[Win7user]

As they say, absolute power corrupts, and corrupts absolutely! China-Google, in this day and age, is NOT your friend.

 

[maxxcool7421]

100% correct . Google will ONLY LINK you to government affiliated pro mainstream media sources . They will NEVER EVER link you to sites that go against the mainstream narrative . Google labels all websites that go against the mainstream media narrative as misinformation when it's a not misinformation at all.

Best way to know the truth is to seek out the sites google says is misinformation , those will tell you the real truth and the sites that google says are legit and trustworthy ARE NEVER EVER TRUSTWORTHY.

Your welcome <3 .. keeping you safe

 

[Sicasevilis]

The issue is monopoly.
The monopoly is larger than google, yet google is one of their most efficient, effective and profitable tools.
these tools are all owned by people that are owned and controlled in order to control everything.
google, facebook, twitter, instagram, myspace have all been proven to be involved in human trafficking for profit and providing access to child pornography as well as sex for sale and even the buying and selling of human beings- alive and/or just parts. the entire conglomerate should be dismantled and every single employee investigated and given trial.
after the investigative data is collected and removed, the entire server, powering facilities and the buildings that house them should be burned to ashes and the ashes should be used to produce conrete highways in order to avoid the practice replacing asphalt roadways continuously.

 

[captaincranky]

The issue is monopoly.
The monopoly is larger than google, yet google is one of their most efficient, effective and profitable tools.
these tools are all owned by people that are owned and controlled in order to control everything.
google, facebook, twitter, instagram, myspace have all been proven to be involved in human trafficking for profit and providing access to child pornography as well as sex for sale and even the buying and selling of human beings- alive and/or just parts. the entire conglomerate should be dismantled and every single employee investigated and given trial.
after the investigative data is collected and removed, the entire server, powering facilities and the buildings that house them should be burned to ashes and the ashes should be used to produce conrete highways in order to avoid the practice replacing asphalt roadways continuously.

Isn't this a trifle over blown? If I did a straight search using Google proper saying, "I'd like to bang a 14 year old girl tonight, where can I find one", you can bet the knock I'd get on the door would be from the FBI, not some sweet young thing.

And yes, I understand the dark web, private, pay to join, member only chat groups and the like. However, if Google were to "invade their privacy" randomly and indiscriminately", there'd be hell to pay in discrimination lawsuits. And "god" forbid, any of these groups should be upstanding citizens, they'd walk away with a crap ton of Google's money.

Unfortunately, and for better or worse, you can't have it both ways.

 

[Sicasevilis]

Isn't this a trifle over blown? If I did a straight search using Google proper saying, "I'd like to bang a 14 year old girl tonight, where can I find one", you can bet the knock I'd get on the door would be from the FBI, not some sweet young thing.

And yes, I understand the dark web, private, pay to join, member only chat groups and the like. However, if Google were to "invade their privacy" randomly and indiscriminately", there'd be hell to pay in discrimination lawsuits. And "god" forbid, any of these groups should be upstanding citizens, they'd walk away with a crap ton of Google's money.

Unfortunately, and for better or worse, you can't have it both ways.

I dont want it at all.
overblown? have you not seen congressional hearings with the administration concerning this topic?
you can defend google, it's all you.
you can have it both ways. if you cant score a girl, via a google search, that is great. if you search for a 14 year old girl on google... no mercy no pity for you
I did not mention the dark web, nor do I care that you understand it.
so, wth are you talking about google violating privacy rights of members in a private chat on the dark web?

 

[Win7user]

Your welcome <3 .. keeping you safe

That's a great point! I've read that many times.

 

[captaincranky]

I dont want it at all.
overblown? have you not seen congressional hearings with the administration concerning this topic?
you can defend google, it's all you.
you can have it both ways. if you cant score a girl, via a google search, that is great. if you search for a 14 year old girl on google... no mercy no pity for you
I did not mention the dark web, nor do I care that you understand it.
so, wth are you talking about google violating privacy rights of members in a private chat on the dark web?

I was speaking hypothetically. OTOH, you seem you be putting a lot of excess effort into virtue signaling

I'm not defending Google. But like malware, or whack-a-mole, when you stop one group or individual's (insert name of crime here), somebody else will start up doing the same crime, while the prior perpetrators are doing the time.

Google is, and ever will be, "only in it for the money". People keep claiming they want "freedom of speech (and privacy)", while out of the other side of their mouths they want Google to be a private police force.

As for "congressional hearings", that's all this most recent waste of taxpayer's money MAGAt clown show has done. Most of it was wasted on sh*t that really didn't need investigating. And before I forget, capping off their summer session by voting down the border bill, (which they demanded), because tRump told them to.

BTW, did you know the Marjorie Taylor Green has it all figured out? The Democrats sent hurricane Helene.to North Carolina to disrupt the vote

@mailpup: I dialed that back as much as I could and still preserve my overall response.

As always, if you still think it's too much, by all means.......

 

[captaincranky]

Search needs to be removed from the corporate culture entirely, and there should be no focus on ad-revenue. Search division should not have any Google employees in senior positions.

That is spectacularly forward thinking, morally beyond reproach, and (seemingly) to the benefit of all mankind.

However, how much do you think we'd be paying for a Gmail account if it all came to pass. No ads, no free mail. No ads, no free search. Get it?

And yes, even DuckDuckGo, has ads. But they're, (allegedly, supposedly, ostensibly), more "tasteful" than that mean old Google's.

 

[TempleOrion]

Youtub owned by the Demonrat stoolies, constant censorship!!

Haha Repubtard s always whining about their victimhood, so funny