WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. Department of Justice is urging a federal court to impose sweeping remedies on Google, including the divestiture of its Chrome browser, to dismantle what it calls an illegal monopoly over internet search.
During opening arguments in Washington on Monday, DOJ attorney David Dahlquist said such measures are necessary to disrupt a self-reinforcing cycle of anticompetitive practices that have allowed Google to dominate the market and block out rivals.
'We're here to restore competition,' Dahlquist told U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, who last year ruled that Google abused its market power to maintain a monopoly in general search. The current 'remedies' trial will determine how to address that ruling, with Mehta expected to deliver a decision by late summer.
Among the DOJ's proposed actions were forcing Google to divest Chrome, barring it from paying smartphone makers to set its search engine as the default, and compelling it to share key search data with competitors. If those steps fail to improve competition within five years, the government is also considering requiring Google to divest its Android operating system.
Google, however, strongly opposes the proposals. Company attorney John Schmidtlein argued that the remedies are overly aggressive and would unfairly benefit competitors. 'Google earned its position through innovation and investment,' he said, adding that the proposed actions would harm consumers and stifle technological progress.
The case comes amid a broader regulatory crackdown on Big Tech. Just last week, another judge found Google held an illegal monopoly in the digital advertising market. The outcome of this trial could significantly reshape the future of how people search the web and access digital services.
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