US government sticks to splitting up Google – Also keeping an eye on AI
According to the US Department of Justice, Google must at least sell Chrome. The Gemini-Samsung deal is also criticized.
(Image: Wirestock Images/Shutterstock.com)
Google held an illegal monopoly and maintained it by unfair means. This was decided by a judge in the USA last fall. Now comes part two of the lawsuit. It deals with the consequences. The US Department of Justice continues to demand the spin-off of at least the browser business. However, the Trump government is also focusing on Google's approach to AI. Google acts in the same way as it does with search – and pays to be pre-installed.
Chrome is the most widely used browser in the world. Because Google search is automatically set there, countless search queries are forwarded to Google. And Google's advertising business with the ads surrounding the search hits also develops via the search. The Ministry of Justice does not like this self-preferential treatment.
Videos by heise
The lawsuit is also about Google's default setting as a search engine on devices such as smartphones and the fact that Google pays money for this. Apple and Samsung have such deals, but Mozilla also receives money for the fact that Google is preset in Firefox.
Google pays Samsung for preset Gemini
Google is now repeating this criticized approach in the field of AI. Specifically, the Google chatbot Gemini is available by default as an assistant on its own Android devices. However, Google has also entered into another deal with Samsung, thanks to which Gemini is pre-installed on the competitor's devices. According to a Google manager who testified on Monday, Samsung receives "enormous sums" for this.
At the start of the trial, the Ministry of Justice is said to have called on Judge Amit Mehta to take consistent action. Google should have to spin off Chrome. Then, according to the plaintiff, competitors such as Bing and DuckDuckGo would have a chance. The plaintiff is also demanding the spin-off of the entire Android business and the provision of data that Google collects via search.
Google says it is jeopardizing people's safety and the economic success of the USA. The company has also already announced its intention to appeal.
(emw)
