US Department Of Justice Considers Forcing Google To Sell Parts Of Its Business

According to Odaily, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has informed a federal judge that it is contemplating recommending that Google be compelled to divest some of its business segments to mitigate the monopolistic damage it has inflicted on the online search market. In a court document submitted on Tuesday, the DOJ stated that Judge Amit Mehta could also mandate Alphabet, Google's parent company, to provide foundational data used in constructing search results and artificial intelligence products. The DOJ emphasized that it is considering both behavioral and structural remedies to prevent Google from leveraging products like Chrome, Play, and Android to gain an unfair advantage in Google Search and related products and features over competitors or new market entrants. Google has allegedly secured benefits in scale and data by entering into illegal distribution agreements with other tech companies, making its search engine the default option on smartphones and web browsers. This marks the first attempt by authorities to break up a company on grounds of illegal monopoly since the failed effort to split Microsoft two decades ago.