US officials are plotting a potential break-up of Google after the tech giant was found to have illegally maintained a monopoly over the online search market.
The radical proposal is reportedly being considered by the US Department of Justice, which could force Google to sell parts of its business, such as its Chrome browser.
It comes after Judge Amit Mehta of the US district court for the District of Columbia ruled last week that Google had unfairly blocked rivals by paying $26bn to become the default search engine on smartphones and web browsers.
In response to the decision, the US government is now meeting other companies and experts to discuss moves to limit Google’s power, as first reported by The New York Times.
As well as a possible break-up, Google could also be required to share its data with rivals or be forced to abandon agreements that make it the default search engine on smartphones.
Shares in Google’s parent company Alphabet have fallen by around 11pc over the last month amid fears over the ruling’s impact.
The landmark decision followed a four-year legal battle between US officials and Google, signalling a potential step change in legislators’ efforts to bring tech giants to heel.
The US government’s argument hinged on the fact that Google made payments worth billions of dollars to companies such as Apple, Samsung and others for prime placement on smartphones and browsers, which it said violated antitrust laws.
Witnesses included Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s chief executive, who claimed that deals struck by Google had effectively locked Microsoft’s Bing search engine out of the market.
Google’s lawyers argued throughout the case that its dominance of the market came through offering the best service, calling the Justice Department’s case “deeply flawed”. It plans to appeal the ruling.
Kent Walker, Google’s president of global affairs, previously said: “This decision recognises that Google offers the best search engine, but concludes that we shouldn’t be allowed to make it easily available.”
The New York Times said Judge Mehta had asked officials and Google to come up with a path forward by early September.
The case was the first antitrust case brought by the US government against a tech company since the 1990s, when it sued Microsoft in a bid to limit its control over the computer market.
Judge Mehta’s ruling will likely embolden legislators across the world, who have been grappling with the way social media and tech are changing society and seeking ways to bring tech giants under control.
Google was contacted for comment.
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