Google is currently facing two trials by the Department of Justice. The first one, which is about to conclude, is focused on its search monopoly. This is the first major action against a tech company since Microsoft in the 1990s.
If Google is found guilty of anti-trust acts, it could see its business split into different elements. This in turn could have major implications on the stock market and business productivity throughout the economy. The Verge says:
Google has not one but two Department of Justice antitrust trials this year — and the first one, over Google Search, is finally coming to a close. On Thursday, lawyers showed up at the district court in Washington, DC, for the first of two days of closing arguments in the bench trial before Judge Amit Mehta.
This was the first tech anti-monopoly lawsuit the government had filed in two decades since US v. Microsoft. Its outcome directly affects one of the most valuable companies in the world. At this stage, the judge will only determine whether Google is liable for the antitrust charges brought against it. If so, there will be a separate proceeding to determine appropriate remedies. These could be court-ordered constraints on Google’s behavior or something as drastic as breaking up elements of its search business.
Google may have made its case worse by destroying chat sessions, which could potentially lead to further felonies. The practice even went on as the trial was ongoing, which could make it worse. Ars Technica explains:
According to the DOJ, Google destroyed potentially hundreds of thousands of chat sessions not just during their investigation but also during litigation. Google only stopped the practice after the DOJ discovered the policy. DOJ’s attorney Kenneth Dintzer told Mehta Friday that the DOJ believed the court should “conclude that communicating with history off shows anti-competitive intent to hide information because they knew they were violating antitrust law.”
Mehta at least agreed that “Google’s document retention policy leaves a lot to be desired,” expressing shock and surprise that a large company like Google would ever enact such a policy as best practice.
Google is not the only Big Tech company facing DOJ pressure. Apple, Amazon, and Meta are also under a microscope, and could also face dismemberment.
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