Google calls DOJ antitrust remedy proposal an attack on US tech leadership

Google has strongly criticized a proposal filed by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) as part of an ongoing antitrust lawsuit regarding the company’s search distribution agreements. The tech giant claims the proposal demands drastic changes that could disrupt its services, harm consumers, and weaken the US’s global technology leadership.
“The DOJ had a chance to propose remedies related to the issue in this case: search distribution agreements with Apple, Mozilla, smartphone OEMs, and wireless carriers,” Google said in a blog post. “Instead, DOJ chose to push a radical interventionist agenda that would harm Americans and America’s global technology leadership.”
Google alleges the DOJ’s proposals extend far beyond the scope of the lawsuit, impacting products and services unrelated to search distribution agreements. The company highlighted several consequences it sees as damaging:
Security and privacy risks: Google argues the proposal would compromise the security and privacy of millions of Americans by potentially forcing the sale of Chrome and Android.
Exposure of personal data: It warns that sensitive user data, including personal search queries, could be disclosed to “unknown foreign and domestic companies.”
Hindrance to AI development: Google claims the measures would stifle its investments in artificial intelligence, an area where it is a global leader.
Threats to partnerships: The company said the proposal could harm services like Mozilla’s Firefox, which rely on Google’s payments for search placement.
Google highlighted what it described as the impracticality of the DOJ’s demands, pointing to a requirement for two separate choice screens on Google Pixel phones before users could access Search. “The design of those choice screens would have to be approved by the Technical Committee. And that’s just a small part of it. We wish we were making this up,” the company stated.
Google framed the DOJ’s actions as an unprecedented overreach, warning of broader implications for the economy and technology sector. The company said, “DOJ’s approach would result in unprecedented government overreach that would harm American consumers, developers, and small businesses — and jeopardize America’s global economic and technological leadership at precisely the moment it’s needed most.”
While the Court previously acknowledged Google’s search engine as offering “the industry’s highest quality,” Google contends that the DOJ’s demands go beyond the Court’s decision. The company said it will file its own proposals next month and mount a broader defense next year.
What is the DOJ lawsuit aboutThe DOJ lawsuit against Google focuses on allegations that the company has abused its dominance in the online search and advertising markets to stifle competition and maintain its market power. The primary issue in the case revolves around Google’s search distribution agreements with companies like Apple, Mozilla, smartphone manufacturers, and wireless carriers. These agreements make Google the default search engine on various devices and browsers, which the DOJ argues has limited consumer choice and hindered competitors.
The DOJ contends that these practices violate antitrust laws by unfairly consolidating Google’s monopoly in search and online advertising. The lawsuit aims to address this perceived anticompetitive behavior and propose remedies that could include changes to Google’s business practices, restructuring, or divestitures.
Google disputes these claims, arguing that its services succeed on merit, providing users with quality and innovation, and that the proposed remedies from the DOJ represent government overreach that could harm consumers and the broader tech ecosystem.