New York

The US government is considering asking a federal judge to break up the search engine giant Google in a move to reshape how technology giants do business. The US Department of Justice (DoJ) said the move may include structural requirements to prevent Google from maintaining its search monopoly. In response, Google warned that the proposed changes could have unintended consequences for US consumers and businesses. 

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The US District Judge Amit Mehta gave a landmark ruling in August that said Google had maintained dominance in the online search category to squash competition through illegal practices. The court’s decision in August had a significant impact on Alphabet, the parent company of Google.

The ruling came after a 10-week trial in which Google was accused of paying billions of dollars yearly to firms, including Samsung and Apple, to ensure that Google was their default search engine. 

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In a late court filing on Tuesday (Oct 7), the DoJ said that it is considering "remedies that would prevent Google from using products such as Chrome, Play, and Android to advantage Google search and Google search-related products." Google's lawyers argue that users are attracted to the search engine because of its usefulness, and Google is investing to make it better for its consumers.

Google’s vice president of regulatory affairs, Lee-Anne Mulholland, said in a blog post responding to the court filing that the DoJ was “already signalling requests that go far beyond the specific legal issues” in this case. “Government overreach in a fast-moving industry may have negative unintended consequences for American innovation and America’s consumers.”

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However, the DoJ is yet to submit the detailed set of proposals and changes by 20 December. Later, Google can submit its own set of remedies by 20 December. Other ongoing lawsuits against big US technology firms include Meta, Amazon, and Apple, accused of anti-competitive practices. The lawsuits are an attempt by the U.S. authorities to strengthen competition in the industry. 

(With inputs from agencies)