Google is no stranger to antitrust scrutiny, but the walls may be closing in. As the next phase of Google's search trial nears, the company's lawyers have reportedly met with representatives from the US Department of Justice in hopes of heading off a breakup. Google is reportedly pushing the argument that forcing it to spin off parts of the business and limit certain investments would constitute a national security threat.
Google's antitrust situation got much worse this past August when it lost the long-running case targeting its search business. With Google branded yet again as a monopolist, the DOJ asked for stiff penalties, seeking to have US District Judge Amit Mehta force Google to sell its popular Chrome browser and end payments for search engine placement with other firms.
According to Bloomberg, Google met with the DOJ team last week to make the case for a lighter regulatory touch. Specifically, Google has stepped up its claims that forcing it to spin-off Chrome and limit AI investments could harm US national security, as well as security at the user level.
