DOJ is considering breaking up Google: Report
FILE-Google headquarters is seen in Mountain View, California. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The Department of Justice is considering breaking up Google after a court ruling determined that the tech company cornered the online search market.
A judge ruled on Aug. 5 that Google illegally monopolized the market for online search and search text ads. The California-based tech giant plans to appeal the decision, but the judge ordered Google and the DOJ to start plans for the second part of the case, involving the agency’s request to break up Google, per Bloomberg.
Bloomberg reports that this would be the DOJ’s first effort to break up Google for illegal monopolization since the agency attempted to dismantle Microsoft 20 years ago.
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Individuals with knowledge of the DOJ deliberations spoke to Bloomberg on the condition of anonymity and told the news outlet that another alternative to penalize Google could involve forcing the company to share more data with tech rivals so they do not have an unfair advantage with AI tools.
The anonymous sources also told Bloomberg that the Justice Department could go after Google’s Android operating system and its web browser Chrome, while attempting to force a potential sale of AdWords, which Google uses to sell text advertising.
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According to Bloomberg, the judge’s Aug. 5 ruling comes after a California jury in 2023 found that Google monopolized Android app distribution. The California judge presiding in the case has not decided on relief.
Separately, the Federal Trade Commission filed a brief in the California case this week arguing that Google should not benefit from an illegal monopoly.
The Source
Information for this story was provided by Bloomberg, who spoke to people with knowledge of the Department of Justice deliberations. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.