DOJ may seek Google breakup after landmark antitrust case victory: Unlawful conduct

The Justice Department said it is considering whether to ask a federal judge to order a breakup of Google’s online search monopoly – a move that could upend the Big Tech firm’s entire business model.The feds pointed to a forced divestment of Google’s Chrome browser, its Google Play app store or its Android operating system as among the potential “behavioral and structural remedies” to address the company’s “unlawful conduct.”“Fully remedying these harms requires not only ending Google’s control of distribution today, but also ensuring Google cannot control the distribution of tomorrow,” the DOJ said in a filing late Tuesday.Shares of Google parent Alphabet were down nearly 2% in early trading Wednesday.Judge Amit Mehta ruled in August that Google built a monopoly over search by making billions of dollars in payments to head off competition and other illegal tactics.He is expected to make a final decision on remedies to address Google’s conduct by next summer.The DOJ also floated the possibility of requiring Google to share relevant search data, indexes and models with its rivals to ensure a level playing field.

The feds said they would provide a more complete proposal for Mehta’s review in November.The rise of artificial intelligence marked an “emerging barrier to competition and risks further entrenching Google’s dominance” – and any remedy ordered by the judge should address its impact on the market, the agency added.A forced selloff is one of several possibilities that Mehta is expected to consider before making his final ruling.Subscribe to our daily Business Report newsletter! Please provide a valid email address.

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The judge could also force Google to stop making payments to smartphone makers like Apple and carriers like AT&T to ensure its search engine is instal...