US Considers a Rare Antitrust Move: Breaking Up Google, out of Bloomberg last night was the big business news from yesterday. How would Google be broken up? Well, they would diversify Android and Chrome and potentially try to force Google to sell "AdWords," they mean Google Ads.
I get how you can break up Google Search from Android and Chrome, but separating out Google Ads from Google Search might be a bit tough...
This report comes after the DOJ ruled Google a monopoly earlier this month. Now, this is the quote from Bloomberg's piece, "If the Justice Department pushes ahead with a breakup plan, the most likely units for divestment are the Android operating system and Google’s web browser Chrome, said the people. Officials are also looking at trying to force a possible sale of AdWords, the platform the company uses to sell text advertising, one of the people said."
It also says, "Regardless, the government will likely seek a ban on the type of exclusive contracts that were at the center of its case against Google." Meaning, the deals it has with Apple and others to be the default search provider on their product or services.
But a breakup might not happen, it is "being considered" but less severe options are on the table, like sharing data with competitors and other providers. "Less severe options include forcing Google to share more data with competitors and measures to prevent it from gaining an unfair advantage in AI products, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private conversations," Bloomberg wrote.
If a breakup is the remedy, Android, the mobile operating system is one of the more popular ones on the table. "Divesting the Android operating system, used on about 2.5 billion devices worldwide, is one of the remedies that’s been most frequently discussed by Justice Department attorneys, according to the people," Bloomberg reported.
And with Chrome, Google's web browser, Bloomberg's piece reads, "Those agreements also require that Google’s search widget and Chrome browser be installed on devices in such a way they can’t be deleted, effectively preventing other search engines from competing, he found."
On Google Ads, "If the Justice Department doesn’t call for Google to sell off AdWords, it could ask for interoperability requirements that would make it work seamlessly on other search engines, the people said."
When it comes to data sharing, "Another option would require Google to divest or license its data to rivals, such as Microsoft’s Bing or DuckDuckGo."
I guess we will see:
If you’re serious about remedies it’s really the only position to take. You need to at least separate chrome and probably android into separate entities.
— Greg Sterling 🇺🇦 (@gsterling) August 13, 2024
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