The US Department of Justice is reportedly considering the possibility of breaking up technology giant Google, according to sources from Bloomberg, the New York Times, and other reputable news outlets.
This development comes after a federal court ruling last week that found Google guilty of violating antitrust laws by investing billions of dollars into creating an illegal monopoly and establishing itself as the default search engine worldwide. The court’s decision is being hailed as a major victory for authorities who have been working towards curbing the dominance of Big Tech companies.
According to reports, the Department of Justice is exploring various options to address Google’s antitrust violations. These include compelling Alphabet’s Google to share its data with competitors and implementing measures to prevent the company from gaining an unfair advantage in the realm of AI products. Sources familiar with the matter have revealed that breaking off the Android operating system, AdWords, Google’s search ad program, or the Chrome web browser are all being discussed as potential solutions.
This move by the Department of Justice is part of a larger effort to rein in the power of Big Tech companies. Over the past four years, antitrust regulators have taken legal action against other tech giants such as Meta, Amazon, and Apple for their monopolistic practices in their respective markets. Microsoft, too, had previously faced similar allegations and had settled with the Department of Justice in 2004 over claims that it had forced its Internet Explorer Web browser on Windows users.
At the time of writing, both Google and the Department of Justice have not issued any official statements in response to the reports. However, it is expected that this development will have significant implications for the future of the tech industry and the dominance of Big Tech companies.
