The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has expressed its support for a key proposal by the Department of Justice (DOJ) that seeks to compel Google to share certain search data with competitors, as part of ongoing efforts to remedy the company’s unlawful dominance in the online search market, Reuters reported.
The FTC—widely regarded as the nation’s primary privacy regulator—affirmed that the DOJ’s data-sharing proposal includes sufficient safeguards to protect user privacy, mirroring the Commission’s own standards for enforcement in privacy cases.
The endorsement comes amid the remedy phase of a landmark antitrust trial, following an August 2024 ruling by U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta that found Google had violated federal antitrust laws by spending billions of dollars to entrench its monopoly status. Judge Mehta concluded that Google had unfairly maintained its dominance by making lucrative agreements with major players like Apple, Samsung, AT&T, and Verizon to secure its position as the default search engine across devices, particularly on mobile.
“The court reaches the following conclusion: Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly,” Mehta wrote in the decision. Google currently commands approximately 90% of the online search market, and up to 95% on mobile devices.
As the court now weighs potential remedies, the DOJ and several state attorneys general are advocating for sweeping structural changes, including the divestiture of Google’s Chrome browser and a ban on exclusive agreements that make Google the default search engine. A key element of the DOJ’s proposal is to establish a compliance committee to oversee implementation and ensure ongoing adherence to the remedy, a mechanism the FTC compared to its own oversight protocols in privacy settlements.
Google, however, has strongly opposed the data-sharing provision, with CEO Sundar Pichai warning that it risks compromising user privacy and exposing the company’s intellectual property. Pichai also testified last month that Google is exploring a partnership with Apple to integrate its Gemini AI technology into Apple devices later this year, a move that DOJ attorneys argue could further entrench Google’s dominance—this time in the emerging AI sector.
Meanwhile, AI startup Anthropic, in which Google holds a multibillion-dollar minority stake, has also weighed in. The company warned in court filings that a DOJ requirement for Google to provide advance notice of AI investments could chill innovation and deter investment in smaller AI firms. “Such a requirement would harm, not benefit, AI competition,” Anthropic argued.
The remedy phase of the trial is expected to continue through May, with a final decision potentially reshaping not only the search market, but also the competitive landscape of the broader digital economy. Legal experts anticipate that appeals to the D.C. Circuit Court and possibly the Supreme Court could extend proceedings into 2026.
While Google has begun making some of its agreements non-exclusive in a bid to address regulators’ concerns, the DOJ and its allies remain skeptical, citing fears that the company may replicate its search dominance in the AI ecosystem without robust structural remedies.
The outcome of this case could mark a pivotal turning point in U.S. antitrust enforcement, especially in relation to Big Tech’s market power, and set the stage for how competition policy is applied to fast-evolving digital markets.
