A US judge decided that Google will be required to share online search data with competitors to reduce its monopoly power. However, the company won’t be forced to sell its Chrome browser or Android operating system.
In the landmark antitrust case, the court rejected the Justice Department’s push to force Google to sell its Chrome browser and didn’t include a contingent divestiture of the Android operating system. The judge wrote: “Plaintiffs overreached in seeking forced divestiture of these key assets, which Google did not use to effect any illegal restraints.”
In his illegal monopoly ruling, US District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington, DC, stated Google will be barred from entering or maintaining any exclusive contract relating to the distribution of Google Search, Chrome, Google Assistant, and its Gemini app. The tech giant will also have to make available to qualified competitors certain search index and user-interaction data, though not ad data.
The court narrowed the data sets Google will be required to share to tailor the remedy to its anticompetitive conduct. The 226-page decision explained that Google will not be barred from making payments to partners, including Apple, for preloading or placement of Google Search, Chrome, or its GenAI products.
The judge argues that cutting off payments from Google almost certainly will impose substantial, and, in some cases, crippling downstream harms to distribution partners, related markets, and consumers. This means Google’s default search deals can continue.
Infobip has partnered with Virgin Atlantic to significantly increase online check-in rates for passengers departing from London Heathrow through an innovative WhatsApp messaging solution.
A US judge decided that Google will be required to share online search data with competitors to reduce its monopoly power.
Yesterday, two days before its official start, the world's largest event for home and consumer technology, IFA Berlin, opened its doors for the traditional IFA Media Days.
