The government is not asking for Google to sell Android right away, but it wants that option if other measures it imposes don’t work to restore competition. In general:
For the avoidance of doubt, Google must not provide itself with preferential access to Android or Google-owned apps or data as compared to the access it provides to all other GSEs and AI Products…
Google cannot:
- “make any Google GSE [general search engine], Search Text Ads, or AI Product (including on-device AI) mandatory on Android Devices”
- “reduce, prevent, or otherwise interfere with the distribution of rival GSE, Search Text Ads, or AI Products on Android Devices”
That’s their position for the next 2 months… after that they’ll be able to just cash out a check to some politicians and it’ll be forgotten.
Sadly, you are probably right.
I’d love to see Android divested and bought by a non-profit body, but expecting the US to do anything right is several universes too far. America was a mistake…
Why does “it want” and why would “it ask”? They’re the government. Order them to sell Chrome. Arrest them if they don’t.
