A federal judge has charted a new course for the online search industry by ordering Google to share some of its search data with competitors, including emerging AI companies like OpenAI and Perplexity. This mandate was part of a landmark antitrust ruling where the judge stopped short of breaking up the tech giant, but imposed new rules to foster competition.
The decision by Judge Amit Mehta marks a partial victory for the Department of Justice. While Google gets to keep its Chrome browser, the data-sharing requirement is a significant concession. This access to data could prove invaluable for rivals, helping them build more effective competing search engines and train more sophisticated artificial intelligence models, thereby challenging Google’s long-held dominance.
The judge’s reasoning was multifaceted, acknowledging both Google’s past monopolistic behavior and the future competitive threat posed by AI. He concluded that forcing Google to open up its data trove was a more appropriate remedy than a forced sale of its assets, especially given the rapidly changing technological landscape. Google, however, has expressed concerns about the potential impact on user privacy.
In addition to data sharing, the ruling also prohibits Google from bundling its apps, meaning device makers will no longer be required to install a full suite of Google apps to get access to the Google Play Store on Android. This move is another modest win for the DOJ, aimed at creating more opportunities for competing apps and services to thrive.