Downsizing Google

Google may have to sell off the world’s most widely used web browser if the government succeeds with an antitrust lawsuit. The U.S. Department of Justice argued in a Nov. 20 court filing that the tech giant should have to divest its Chrome browser in order to restore competition to the online search market.

A federal judge in August determined that Google enjoys monopolies on online searches and search text advertising. That ruling came after the DOJ sued the company in 2020 and again in 2023, claiming the company engaged in anticompetitive practices. The department argued that Chrome is a key way consumers access the internet and that Google’s ownership of the platform has fortified its dominance.

Officials also proposed cracking down on Google’s ownership of Android by either requiring its sale or implementing oversight to control how the company uses the platform.

Google called the proposals “wildly overbroad.” Kent Walker, Google’s chief legal officer, said requiring the sale of Chrome could endanger users’ privacy and security, stunt the company’s investment in artificial intelligence, and invite government intervention in Google searches.

AT&T in 1982 agreed to break up its business to end a yearslong antitrust suit, but few cases have forced the breakup of large tech companies since then.

Putting a leash on internet data brokers

Federal regulators want to clamp down on the sale of Americans’ private information to scammers, foreign adversaries, and other bad actors. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Dec. 3 proposed a new rule to rein in data brokers and subject them to the bureau’s oversight. Data brokers are companies like Experian that collect personal information from the internet and sell it to other companies.

The draft rule, open to public comment until March, would limit the sale of personal info including Social Security numbers and phone numbers. It would also ensure an individual’s financial data is shared only for legitimate reasons.

Under the proposal, data brokers that sell sensitive information would be identified as consumer reporting agencies under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. They would be required to comply with credit reporting laws, give consumers access to their information, and maintain safeguards against misuse. —L.C.

Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto via AP

Flights to Bluesky

Thousands of users of X, the social media service formerly known as Twitter, left the platform in the wake of the U.S. presidential election in November—and many are finding a new home on Bluesky. App usage for Bluesky, an open-source alternative to X, surged over 500% in the days following the election, according to data from Similarweb. As of December, Bluesky had grown to more than 24 million users after X introduced new terms of service, including a policy that allows the Elon Musk–owned company to train AI models with user data. —L.C.