Google Faces Strictest DOJ Ruling in US: Story in 5 Points

The US Department of Justice's proposed final ruling has thrown Google at a crossroads. The DOJ has made a list of demands as part of the initial judgement to curb Google's monopoly in the search and search text advertising market. Banking on its previous remedies, the US government has said Google must divest the Chrome browser -- a landmark proposal that could impact parent company Alphabet's revenue significantly. While the main focus is on the divestment of the Chrome browser, DOJ has hinted to Google that it may also want to spin off Android entirely.

According to the DOJ's filing, the US government appears to have a blueprint to increase the clampdown on Google, aimed at addressing the search giant's "unlawful" monopolies. Google has responded to the DOJ's proposed ruling in a lengthy blog post, calling the remedies "wildly overboard." Here is how the saga between the DOJ and Google has unfolded so far:

Point 1

DOJ's latest judgement proposal for Google is a fine-tuned version of the remedies it previously suggested in a bid to break up Google. By breaking up, the US government means dividing Google's businesses into smaller units, some of which would not have the company's control. Essentially, the measures DOJ has suggested are aimed to penalise Google for maintaining monopolies in the market.

Point 2

The divestment of the Chrome browser is the highlight as the US government sees it as a pivotal point in changing the course of how users access the internet. Google's Chrome is the most downloaded browser across the world, helped by the browser's preloaded version on nearly every Android smartphone. Since Chrome's default search engine is Google Search, it helps the company widen its user base. Google has argued that spinning out Chrome would “endanger the security and privacy of millions of Americans, and undermine the quality of products people love.”

Point 3

While not a stressed point, a possibility for the divestment of Android is also what the DOJ has suggested Google would consider. Google will be expected to follow the new remedies, but in case it finds workarounds and they do not work, the company loses its option to leave Android as-is. DOJ, then, may mandate an Android spin-out, which Google preemptively says will impact the operating system's security.

Point 4

DOJ has also restricted Google from forging certain deals with other companies. The government has pointed to Google's multi-billion-dollar deals with Apple and Mozilla to make Google Search the default search engine in Safari and Firefox browsers. Google has argued this could "hurt innovative services, like Mozilla's Firefox, whose businesses depend on charging Google for Search placement." Notably, all web browsers come with other search engine options, but a majority of people do not bother changing the default one.

Point 5

Google will also be required to stop giving preferences to its search engine or other owned platforms, such as YouTube, and let its rivals or other platforms access its search index for a fee. Google should also not use Google Search to answer queries on Gemini. According to Google, this action entails "disclosure of not just Google's innovations and results" but also "personal search queries" to "unknown" companies. It said the DOJ's ruling would also "deliberately hobble people's ability to access" its search engine.

DOJ will now file an updated version of its proposals in early March to the government. Meanwhile, Google said it would file its proposals next month, while broader explanations are expected next year during a two-week remedies trial in the DC District Court.