US Department of Justice considers dismantling Google for antitrust violation

The US Department of Justice has informed a federal judge that it is considering recommending the dismantling of certain parts of Google to mitigate the damage caused by the company's monopoly in the online search market. The move would represent a historic antitrust intervention.

In a document filed on Tuesday, regulators suggested that Judge Amit Mehta could also require Google, a division of Alphabet Inc., to make accessible the data it relies on to generate its search results and artificial intelligence products.

The Department of Justice stated that it is 'evaluating both behavioural and structural remedies' to prevent Google from using products such as Chrome, Play and Android to benefit its own search engine and related features - including emerging artificial intelligence-based ones - to the detriment of competitors or new market entrants.

This document represents the first attempt in two decades by the US authorities to dismantle a company for illegal monopoly, after the unsuccessful attempt to break up Microsoft. The 32-page document outlines a number of possible solutions that the court could consider in the penalty phase.

The antitrust authorities claim that Google gained advantages of scale and access to data through illegal distribution agreements with other technology companies, which made its search engine the default option on smartphones and web browsers.