DOJ Considers Remedies for Google’s Monopoly; Breakup Unlikely

The DOJ now considers whether it should break up Alphabet’s Google following a ruling Monday by a federal court that the technology company holds an illegal monopoly in search. But analysts say that’s unlikely to happen, according to The New York Times.

Justice Department officials are weighing potential remedies to propose to a federal judge overseeing the search giant, said three people familiar with the talks between the agency and state attorneys general who helped on the case. They had looked at multiple paths, including forcing divestiture of some parts of Google, like its Chrome browser or Android operating system.

Sources said other cures being mooted would force Google to open up its data to rivals, or strip the company of deals that cement its search engine as the default on devices like the iPhone.

Other companies and experts are already in consultation with the government over proposals that can reduce Google’s influence.

These discussions are really in their infancy. US District Court for the District of Columbia Judge Amit P. Mehta, who’s been overseeing the case, instructed the Justice Department and Google to come up with a plan by September 4 about how to move forward. The court set a hearing for September 6 to talk through next steps.