The fallout from Google's antitrust lawsuit continues to create the potential for dramatic consequences for the company

Sources told Bloomberg that the US Department of Justice is considering possible remedies after a federal district court ruled that Google monopolizes the search engine market That remedy could include Google giving up Android, Chrome, and Google AdWords (its advertising business), which has been suggested in previous analyses

Perhaps the solution most likely to be chosen would be to prohibit Google from entering into search exclusivity agreements with other companies, like the agreement it signed with Apple to be the default search provider for the iPhone However, other ideas include allowing rival search engines to access AdWords and Google data, allowing rival AI services to use Google's training data, and allowing Google to scrape training data in order to list its website This includes preventing them from forcing you to allow it

Google intends to appeal, but if the outcome is upheld, Google could fundamentally change, even if most of the proposed remedies are not implemented and it takes a long time for the remedies to show results

Android and Chrome are deeply tied to Google, and not just because Google makes them To take full advantage of both, you need to log in with a Google account, and Google requires Android phone manufacturers to install default Google apps and a set of conditions for using the operating system, including making it difficult or impossible to remove them They are required to agree to them

The DOJ has ordered many corporate divestitures in the past, but did not succeed in the closest analogy, Microsoft's divestiture in the 1990s Since everything is a gamble when it comes to the outcome of this case, all we can do is wait for the DOJ to make its proposal to Judge Amit Mehta, who ruled in Google's antitrust case, and then watch how the judge and Google respond

In other Google news, the company held a Made by Google event yesterday where it showed off its new Pixel device and Gemini AI updates To learn more, check out our guides to the Google Pixel 9, Google Pixel 9 Pro, Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 earphones, the Pixel Watch 3 smartwatch, and the new Gemini features!