Virginia joins push to break Google’s search monopoly

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares has joined the U.S. Department of Justice and a coalition of 38 state attorneys general in proposing sweeping remedies to dismantle Google’s unlawful monopoly over internet search engines and restore competition in the digital marketplace.

The push follows a landmark ruling in August 2024 by a federal district court in Washington, D.C., which found that Google violated federal antitrust laws by maintaining a monopoly in online search and search advertising through anticompetitive practices. The court’s decision marked a significant win in the ongoing efforts to curb Big Tech dominance.

“The remedies proposed are reasonable, measured steps to restore competition and protect consumers,” Miyares said in a statement Thursday. “Virginia is proud to help produce a balanced resolution that benefits consumers and competitors alike.”

Virginia initially joined the fight against Google in December 2020, alleging in a lawsuit that the tech giant used illegal contracts and other conduct to suppress competition and secure its monopoly power. That case complemented a similar federal antitrust lawsuit filed by the Justice Department in October of that year.

A multi-day hearing to consider the proposed remedies is scheduled for April 22, 2025, and is expected to conclude by May 2, 2025, according to a news release by the attorney general’s oOffice.The outcome of this case will likely have far-reaching implications for competition in the tech industry and consumer choice in digital services.

Kent Walker, Google’s chief legal officer, sharply criticized the Justice Department’s latest move, accusing the agency of pushing “a radical interventionist agenda” that would harm Americans and America’s global technology leadership. 

“DOJ’s wildly overbroad proposal goes miles beyond the court’s decision. It would break a range of Google products — even beyond Search — that people love and find helpful in their everyday lives,” Walker wrote in a blog post Thursday. 

The proposed final judgment, or PFJ, filed with the courts seeks to dismantle Google’s dominance by prohibiting its lucrative search distribution contracts and revenue-sharing agreements. 

If the legal challenge proves successful, Google would no longer be allowed to pay manufacturers, device makers, or browsers to make Google Search the default search engine. Additionally, the company would be required to share data and information obtained through its monopoly with competitors. 

The PFJ also calls for Google to divest Chrome, its popular browser that accounts for a substantial share of the portal’s search traffic and powers its targeted advertising to users. Furthermore, the judgment opens the door to additional divestitures, including Google’s Android operating system, if the company fails to comply with remedies or if the proposed measures prove ineffective.

The judgment further prohibits Google from leveraging its ownership of Android to stifle competition. The company specifically would be barred from mandating the use of Google Search or Google AI on Android devices, degrading the performance of rival services, or using its control over distributors to favor its products.

In a measure proposed solely by the states, Google would also be required to fund a public education campaign to inform consumers about the company’s anticompetitive practices, the resulting legal action, and the alternatives available to them for search engines and digital tools.

The order establishes a five-member technical committee tasked with overseeing the implementation, monitoring and enforcement of these remedies over a ten-year period.

This article first appeared on Virginia Mercury and is republished here with permission. Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence.