Google has a monopoly in internet search and has abused its market power to consolidate this position, according to a US court. The Justice Department is now apparently considering splitting up the company. But other options are also being considered.
The US Department of Justice appears to be considering splitting up Google, according to a report by the news agency Bloomberg citing insiders. The breakup of the company is a possible reaction to a US court ruling on August 5, 2024.
Judge Amit Mehta not only confirmed that Google has a monopoly on Internet searches, but also ruled that the company abused its market power to consolidate this position. For example, the US company pays a lot of money to be the default search engine on Apple devices. The same applies to the Firefox browser.
Is Google threatened with a split?
In order to limit Google’s market power, Bloomberg The most likely option is a spin-off of the Android operating system. The Google Ads advertising system or the Chrome browser could also be sold, according to the report.
However, the Justice Department is apparently also considering less drastic measures. For example, the search engine giant could be forced to share data with competitors.
Regardless, the US government is likely to seek a ban that would prohibit Google from entering into exclusive contracts with other companies such as Apple.
After the monopoly ruling: This is what happens next
It is still unclear whether any such measures will be taken at all. This would first have to be ordered in another ruling by Judge Amit Mehta. Google had previously announced that it would appeal against the original ruling and is likely to do so in a subsequent ruling.
A first hearing on possible reactions is to take place Bloomberg in September. However, neither Google nor the US Department of Justice have commented on the report so far.
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Source: https://www.basicthinking.de/blog/2024/08/15/us-justiz-erwaegt-aufspaltung-von-google-nach-monopol-urteil/
