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The Justice Department could force Google to break itself up

The US Department of Justice is considering having Google break off parts of its business and share search results with competitors after a federal judge found that it abused its monopoly over the search industry.

Google may have to break off parts of its business, such as Chrome and Android, and share users' search data with its competitors, based on the proposed remedies the US Justice Department has submitted in a court filing. In his ruling, Judge Mehta said that paying Mozilla, Apple, Samsung and other device makers to make Google as their default search engine was an illegal act meant to maintain its dominant position in the market. It will "change their business models, raise the cost of devices, and undermine Android and Google Play in their robust competition with Apple’s iPhone and App Store," she explained.

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