TECH NEWS – Google’s browser has a 70% market share, and a recent ruling against the company says its monopoly should end.

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has suggested that Google must sell Chrome and take some other steps to stop the company from further monopolizing the market: it cannot re-enter into agreements to make Chrome the default browser, while they also suggest that it must share its data with rivals. A divestment of Android is also proposed or should be implemented to stop Google being the default option on Android devices. The DoJ made these suggestions to the presiding judge, Amit Mehta.

On November 21, just one day after the DOJ recommended that Google sell Chrome, Kent Walker, Google and Alphabet’s (Google’s parent company) head of Global Affairs and Legal, said on Google’s blog that the decision would harm consumers. He argued that the proposal would jeopardize user safety by undermining the quality of services and exposing Google’s research to foreign and domestic companies. Google’s investment in artificial intelligence would be curtailed by the decision, and he effectively warned that the company’s own AI development would also be curtailed as a result. This would not only hurt casual consumers’ access to Google search, but also companies that depend on Google, such as Firefox. Walker then went on to argue that this was a slippery slope and a government overreach into our online experience.

The sale of such a large entity can indeed put consumers in an interesting situation, both technically and ethically, because of the potential buyer’s bad practices. It is also true that Google’s research, such as Google Gemini, would make less sense without owning the broader ecosystem. Furthermore, since many browsers are based on Chromium, Google’s open source web browser project, there is a potential for security or quality issues, but this is part of the reason for the current litigation. According to Judge Mehta, Google acted illegally and the company has the right to appeal, which it is likely to do. If not, there will be another trial in April to allow Google to respond and remedy the alleged infringement. At that time, Google’s arguments will be heard and a response sought. Many of Google’s arguments can be remedied through further litigation and are not in themselves arguments against the lawsuit. It is important to note that the DoJ’s recommendation is not law, it is merely a suggestion based on the facts of the case, and there are other remedies available.

In any event, the company is not in an easy position.

Source: PCGamer