“The published DOJ Proposed Final Judgment in the US Search trial would provide an effective solution to breaking Google’s monopoly. As proposed by MOW, if structured correctly, the divestiture of Chrome will remove one of the mechanisms through which search is controlled and monopolized by Google and a key lever of dominance from its portfolio. What’s vital is that we don’t simply replace one monopoly with another so any divestiture must be carefully considered. Alternative financing models that ensure public interest outcomes such as The Linux Foundation show how this could be avoided.
The DOJ’s central proposal, to create competing search businesses based on the access to Google ‘s Index and the idea of licensing search data is also commendable – in one relatively simple step the DoJ could create competition to Google search and a wave of innovation in search and create new, more effective user experiences. Google’s claims that sharing search data will violate privacy or security will be addressed via a Technical Committee and after oversight by independent experts.
“These remedies should be viewed in the light of likely similar proposals to come from the EC in their Statement of Objections and also the CMA’s investigation into Google dominance of AdTech. As we enter the remedies stage of the battle against the platforms its essential that we avoid solving for the short term. We’re building a regulatory infrastructure for the web that needs to be fit for purpose for the next 50+ years. The Movement for an Open Web will continue to advocate on behalf of an open and competitive web for as long as it takes. If you share this vision then get in touch to discuss joining MOW.”