US weighs breakup of Google in landmark online search case

WASHINGTON – The United States said on Oct 8 that it may ask a judge to force Alphabet's Google to divest parts of its business, such as its Chrome browser and Android operating system, that it noted are used to maintain an illegal monopoly in online search.

- REUTERS, BLOOMBERG

In a landmark case, a judge found in August that Google, which processes 90 per cent of US internet searches, had built an illegal monopoly. The Justice Department's proposed remedies have the potential to reshape how people find information online while shrinking Google's revenues and giving its competitors more room to grow.

“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 Justice Department said.

The proposed fixes will also aim to keep Google's past dominance from extending to the burgeoning business of artificial intelligence (AI), prosecutors said.