Along with colleagues from 37 other states and the U.S. Department of Justice, Attorney General Kwame Raoul has taken a firm stand against Google’s hegemony in the search engine industry. For the benefit of customers, the group seeks to end what they claim is Google’s illegal monopoly and reinstate fair competition. According to the Office of the Illinois Attorney General, Raoul added, “Google has maintained a monopoly as an online search engine for too long.”
The legal dispute began in 2020 when Raoul and a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general sued Google for allegedly engaging in anticompetitive behavior and contracts that allowed it to keep its dominant position. This past August, a federal district court judge in D.C. declared that Google had in fact broken federal antitrust statutes. The courts will now have to determine how best to implement remedies meant to quickly put an end to Google’s perceived inappropriate behavior, which Raoul claims has “stifled competition and harmed consumers,” according to the Office of the Illinois Attorney General.
The idea calls for an even more severe measure: the divestiture of Chrome, the browser that is essential to a large number of Google search queries. The plan also lists possible future divestitures from Google, including the Android operating system, in case the first fixes prove ineffective. Additionally, Google is not allowed to use its portfolio to unjustly favor its services over those of rivals or to obstruct the dissemination of competing services. This includes a clause that forbids Google from requiring its AI or search on Android smartphones and mandates that Google provide publishers the option to refuse data collection that Google uses to train its AI models.
Separately, the organization is advocating for a Google-funded public education campaign. This campaign aims to educate consumers about Google’s unethical business methods and the alternatives to its search engine. Users that experiment with alternative search engines may receive short-term compensation from Google as part of the campaign. The ruling also calls for the establishment of a five-person technical committee to supervise the application, oversight, and enforcement of these remedies over the ensuing ten years. On April 22, 2025, hearings on the suggested remedies are set to start. The website of the Illinois Attorney General has additional details.
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!
Leave a Reply