US court allows Google Chrome to remain, but must share data

A US federal judge ruled that Google may retain its Chrome browser and Android operating system. This represents a significant victory for the tech giant in its antitrust dispute with US authorities. However, Google will be required to share certain data with competitors in the future to enable greater competition in online search.

The decision ended a five-year legal battle in which the court had previously declared Google's monopoly position in online search and advertising to be illegal. However, Judge Amit Mehta refrained from imposing harsh measures such as breaking up parts of the company, citing new competition from AI tools such as ChatGPT, which are already challenging Google's dominance.

The ruling also allows Google to continue making billions in payments to Apple for making Google Search the default search engine. According to analysts, Google paid Apple around $20 billion in 2023. Other device manufacturers are also allowed to continue entering into similar agreements.
Google criticized the data sharing because of its potential impact on privacy. The company is considering an appeal, which could take the case to the Supreme Court.

At the same time, Google is fighting other lawsuits, including over its app store policy and its role in the online advertising market. The US government has been taking a hard line against big tech companies such as Google, Meta, Amazon, and Apple for years.

(reuters, est)