Google keeps Chrome, US judge asks it to share data; advantage to AI rivals

A US judge on Tuesday rejected the US government's demand that tech giant Google sell its Chrome web browser over an antitrust case. However, the judge ordered several measures for Google to restore competition in the online searchspace. In 2024, another judge found that Google was monopolizing online search through exclusive distribution agreements and was earning billions of dollars through themannually.

Google Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Lee-Anne Mulholland said that the court's verdict recognized that the industry has changed with the advent of AI. He said that consumersare free to choose the services they want.

The court has imposed requirements that Google will have to share search data and limit its distributionof services. Sharing Google's concerns over the ruling, Mulholland said they will affect user privacy.

The Justice Department called the remedies “significant.”

"We will continue to review the opinion to consider the Department’s options and next steps regarding seeking additional relief," Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater said in a release.

The US government had asked Google to divest from its browser, Chrome, arguing that the browser was a crucial gateway to internet activity and facilitates a third of all Google web searches. The judge, however, found that divesting from Chrome would be messy and risky.

The US authorities raised concerns that Google had entered into agreements with smartphone manufacturers, including Apple and Samsung, to make Chrome their default search engine.

The judge said that a ban on these deals was off the table because such a prohibition could have a profound effect on other businesses.

"Google will not be barred from making payments or offering other consideration to distribution partners for preloading or placement of Google Search, Chrome, or its GenAI products," the judge wrote.

After the judgment, Alphabet Inc.'s share price grew 7.5 per cent.

The order said that Google will have to make available search index data to "qualified competitors". It will also have to share user interaction information, which can be employed by rivals to improve their services.

This ruling could potentially help AI companies as they could bolster their development of chatbots using the data Google is required to share.

Deepak Mathivanan, an analyst for Cantor Fitzgerald, told Reuters that Google may be impacted by the data-sharing order after a while.

"It will take a longer period of time for consumers to also embrace these new experiences," he said.