US v. Google: all the news from the search antitrust showdown
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A quick recap.
We’re nearing the end of the day and currently on break. A few broad highlights:
- Judge Mehta has dedicated numerous questions to probing whether AI chatbots should be included in the remedies, but he’s also expressed skepticism that a conventional search engine could rise and challenge Google.
- There’s a sizable rift over whether, and under what conditions, Google should be required to share search data, much of which is focused on figuring out what the precise details of such an agreement would look like — particularly how much user data should be shared.
- Mehta seems concerned about hurting Mozilla, Apple, and other distributors by banning the kinds of lucrative default placement deals they cut with Google, and he’s probed options for compromise. Google can point to plenty of testimony from distributors who rely heavily on its money and don’t see an alternative to its search engine. The DOJ’s responses have been relatively nebulous — saying the long-term effects of promoting competition will still help these companies out.
- The parties haven’t yet reached one of the flashiest government proposals: a plan to make Google spin off Chrome.
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