'Would hurt consumers, help competition…’Google fires back at US DOJ’s ‘solutions’

Google is pushing back hard against the U.S. Department of Justice’s proposed antitrust remedies, arguing that the government’s plan to break up its search business and enforce data-sharing mandates would harm innovation, weaken privacy protections, and degrade user experience.

In a public response this week, the tech giant said the DOJ’s case ignores the surge of competition from emerging AI platforms like ChatGPT, MetaAI, Perplexity, and others. Google claims the search landscape has never been more competitive, with rivals gaining traction on both mobile and desktop. Even Apple recently announced it would integrate ChatGPT into iOS via Apple Intelligence, while Motorola devices now feature Perplexity and Microsoft’s Copilot.

Google also warned that DOJ’s proposals could damage user experience by forcing artificial search engine defaults and disrupting browser ecosystems. Mozilla, which relies on revenue from its Google partnership, says the DOJ’s remedy could financially cripple Firefox. Apple’s Eddy Cue testified that Google remains Safari’s default because it delivers the best user experience — not because of anti-competitive behavior.

Privacy is another key battleground. Critics of the DOJ’s proposal argue that forced data-sharing would expose users to heightened security risks. Privacy experts and industry groups warned that these mandates go beyond Europe’s Digital Markets Act in terms of data demands and could lead to widespread breaches.