The US government has taken further action to recommend breaking up internet giant Google and stripping it of its influential Chrome browser, as it aims to address what it says is a monopoly the company has over the powerful technology sector.
It could also be the biggest challenge to a technology bellwether since Washington tried to take down Microsoft in 1998, coincidentally for also allegedly monopolising its control of the web with its Internet Explorer. It also draws parallels with similar legal battles against Facebook parent Meta Platforms and iPhone-maker Apple.
Late on Wednesday, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) proposed dismantling Alphabet-owned Google in a lengthy and incendiary 23-page document to the US District Court in the District of Columbia. It appears the DOJ is prepared to intensify its fight against the California-based company after a long, drawn-out four-year legal battle.
How influential is Chrome?
Launched in 2008, Chrome redefined web browsing with a refreshed experience and a “cool” factor. Its entry into the market provided an attractive alternative to the dominance of Internet Explorer, which was plagued by security issues.
Chrome is the world's biggest web browser in terms of market share, commanding nearly two thirds as of October, data from industry tracker Statcounter shows. It peaked at 72.38 per cent in November 2018.
Apple's Safari is a very distant second with more than 18 per cent, followed by Microsoft Edge, the successor of Internet Explorer, with about 5.3 per cent.
Chrome is built into Android devices and, in almost all of them, is the default browser. That is a very wide reach: while estimates vary, the general consensus is that the number of active Android devices worldwide are at least 3.3 billion. It is also a key and unifying component in Google's tech ecosystem.
And that's not even counting users on desktops, tablets and other devices. That includes users of Apple's iOS, which “only” has about 1.4 billion globally.
With its premium on web security, and compatibility to plug-ins and extensions, Chrome rapidly became popular and widely the browser of choice; how many times have you encountered the message, “best works with Google Chrome?”
DOJ's allegations
The Justice Department has levied allegations against Google and they are completely unflattering, if not direct to the point.
According to the filing, “Google has unlawfully maintained its monopolies in general search services and search text advertising through a web of anticompetitive practices”. And that was just the opening salvo.
It added that Google's manipulation and control of Chrome and Android allows the company to benefit only itself, “while sharing monopoly profits under conditions to induce third parties across the ecosystem to help Google maintain its monopolies”.
Google’s “exclusionary conduct” has, among other things, basically funnelled users to itself; in particular, Google Search, the company's most powerful tool, has ensured that “virtually all search access points route users’ valuable queries and interaction data” to the company.
That “unlawful” behaviour from Google has “deprived rivals not only of critical distribution channels but also distribution partners who could otherwise enable entry into these markets by competitors in new and innovative ways” – resulting in “significant” anticompetitive effects, preventing rivals from growing and innovating.
DOJ's recommendations
Building on its case to break Google up and either sell or divest its interest in Chrome, the DOJ, in its “proposed final judgment”, detailed a number of sweeping recommendations – foremost of which is halting Google's exclusionary agreements with third parties and preventing Google from “self-preferencing through its ownership and control of search-related products”.
It also wants to stop Google from acquiring, investing in or partnering with other companies that is “stifling or eliminating emerging competitive threats”, in addition to having the company disclose data critical to restoring competition, increase transparency and control for advertisers, and end its “unlawful” distribution.
Enacting these measures will, the DOJ argues, restore competition to the markets. Any “remedy” to the situation must “enable and encourage the development of an unfettered search ecosystem that induces entry, competition and innovation”, and to help businesses win more consumers and advertisers – especially, it noted, with the current boom in artificial intelligence.
Is anyone defending Google?
Google has yet to formally respond to the filing, though it has maintained previously that the DOJ is somewhat overreaching with its recommendations when it comes to these circumstances.
Some analysts, however, have come to Google's defence, arguing that dismantling Google would do more harm than good, which may defeat the purpose of the proposed legal actions.
“Mandating a break-up that would require Google to sell off key elements of its integrated platform … would destroy key integrative efficiencies and reduce welfare,” said Alden Abbott, a former general counsel for the US Federal Trade Commission and a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Centre, a research arm of Virginia's George Mason University.
“As such, I view it as highly unlikely that Judge Mehta would endorse such a harmful 'remedy'. Rather, it is far more likely that the judge would endorse a behavioural non-structural remedy, such as the rewriting of key Google contracts.”
Neil Chilson, a former FTC chief technologist and currently head of AI policy at the Abundance Institute, implies that the DOJ may be going too far, terming its initial proposals as “fantastical and now they're merely unbelievable”.
“Not only would selling Chrome not really address the issues the court found liability for, it would risk the degradation of one of the most useful and commonly used pieces of free software,” he added.
What will Trump do?
The case may also present a conundrum for incoming US president Donald Trump, who in the past has accused Google of promoting bias against conservative information. However, he has also signalled that dismantling the company might be too much of an ask from the government.
Regulators under the administration of President Joe Biden have sought to make Google answer for their practices, especially after it was ruled in August by US District Judge Amit Mehta that the company was a monopolist.
Mr Trump's government will inherit the case, and while it is unclear how much his regulators will pursue it, actions may potentially be not as harsh as it is right now, given Mr Trump's tech-friendliness. However, his pick for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, has long called for the break-up of tech giants.
The hearings on Google's punishment are slated to start in April, with Mr Mehta expected to rule before US Labour Day. Google is expected to appeal any ruling not in its favour, which would further drag legal saga.
“In any event, president-elect Trump has been quoted recently as opposing a break-up of Google. If the outgoing Biden DOJ insists on recommending a break-up of Google, I view it as likely that the new Trump DOJ would confess error and withdraw the break-up recommendation,” Mr Abbott said.
Europe's top EV producers
- Norway (63% of cars registered in 2021)
- Iceland (33%)
- Netherlands (20%)
- Sweden (19%)
- Austria (14%)
- Germany (14%)
- Denmark (13%)
- Switzerland (13%)
- United Kingdom (12%)
- Luxembourg (10%)
Source: VCOe
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Starring: John David Washington; Adam Driver
Five stars
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Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The years Ramadan fell in May
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SM Town Live is on Friday, April 6 at Autism Rocks Arena, Dubai. Tickets are Dh375 at www.platinumlist.net
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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India squad for fourth and fifth Tests
Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rahul, Shaw, Pujara, Rahane (vc), Karun, Karthik (wk), Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Pandya, Ishant, Shami, Umesh, Bumrah, Thakur, Vihari
Pearls on a Branch: Oral Tales
Najlaa Khoury, Archipelago Books
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Series information
Pakistan v Dubai
First Test, Dubai International Stadium
Sun Oct 6 to Thu Oct 11
Second Test, Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tue Oct 16 to Sat Oct 20
Play starts at 10am each day
Teams
Pakistan
1 Mohammed Hafeez, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Asad Shafiq, 5 Haris Sohail, 6 Babar Azam, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed, 8 Bilal Asif, 9 Yasir Shah, 10, Mohammed Abbas, 11 Wahab Riaz or Mir Hamza
Australia
1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Mitchell Marsh, 5 Travis Head, 6 Marnus Labuschagne, 7 Tim Paine, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jon Holland
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.
