The US Justice Department told a federal judge it’s considering recommending that Google be forced to sell off parts of its operations to alleviate the harm caused by its monopolisation of the online search market, in what would be a historic antitrust breakup.
Federal prosecutors also stated in a late-day court filing on Tuesday that the judge may request that competitors have access to the underlying data that Google uses to power its widely-used search engine and artificial intelligence products.
The Justice Department “is considering behavioural and structural remedies that would prevent Google from using products such as Chrome, Play, and Android to advantage Google search and Google search-related products and features — including emerging search access points and features, such as artificial intelligence — over rivals or new entrants,” the agency said in the filing.
The 32-page document lays out a framework of potential options for the judge to consider as the case moves to the remedy phase. The agency said it will provide a fuller proposal on remedies next month. Futures on the Nasdaq 100 Index, which counts Alphabet among its largest constituents, extended declines to about 0.3% after the filing.
The effort is the most significant move to rein in a major tech company over illegal monopolisation since Washington unsuccessfully sought to break up Microsoft Corp. two decades ago. Antitrust enforcers said Google gained scale and data benefits from its illegal distribution agreements with other tech companies that made its search engine the default option on smartphones and web browsers.
