Google is receiving support from one of its competitors, with Mozilla saying the DOJ’s proposed remedies would hurt competition rather than improve it.
The DOJ has filed its proposed remedies in its antitrust win against Google, saying the company should be forced to immediately sell its Chrome web browser and be forbidden from entering into search agreements with other companies, such as Apple and Mozilla. Google currently pays both organizations to make the company’s search engine the default in Safari and Firefox respectively.
In a blog post, Mozilla argues that Google’s search agreements help preserve the open web, rather than undermine it.
Last week the Department of Justice and some state attorneys general filed revised proposed remedies in the U.S. v. Google LLC search case. If the proposed remedies barring all search payments to browser developers are adopted by the court, these misguided plans would be a direct hit to small and independent browsers—the very forces that keep the web open, innovative and free. This case was meant to promote search competition, yet somehow the outcome threatens to crush browser competition, making it even harder for challengers to stand up to dominant players like Google, Apple and Microsoft.
Mozilla goes on to draw a direct contrast between Apple—a multi-trillion dollar company with multiple revenue streams—and an organization like Mozilla that relies on the revenue Google provides. Mozilla also points out the the fact that Judge Mehta’s own findings indicate that independent browsers make up a small fraction of search queries, raising questions about the efficacy of the DOJ’s proposed remedies.
- Dominant players that own browsers, like Apple, don’t rely on search deals as they have significant revenue streams from other sources, like hardware, operating systems and app stores.
- Meanwhile, independent browsers like Firefox fund the development of their browsers mainly through search revenue––they require this revenue to survive. Search revenue underpins a large part of our work, keeping Firefox competitive and ensuring that web users have privacy-first alternatives.
- Punishing independent browsers will not solve the problem. Judge Mehta found that independent browsers account for just 1.15% of U.S. search queries. This means that cutting off our access to search deals won’t fix the issue of search dominance—not by a landslide. Instead, it hurts browser competition.
“These proposed remedies prohibiting search payments to small and independent browsers miss the bigger picture—and the people who will suffer most are everyday internet users,” said Mark Surman, President of Mozilla. “Independent browsers like Firefox are on the frontlines of protecting consumer privacy, driving browser innovation, and giving people real choice on how they experience the web. But instead of promoting a fair fight, the DOJ’s remedies would tilt the playing field further into the hands of a few dominant players, diminishing consumer choice and weakening the broader internet ecosystem.”
“The big unintended consequence here is the handing of power from one dominant player to another. So, from Google Search to Microsoft, or Bing for example—while shutting out the smaller, independent challengers that actually drive browser innovation and offer web users privacy and choice,” Surman added.
The Importance of the Mozilla Browser Engine
Mozilla goes onto highlight the importance of its browser engine, which powers Firefox. This is a point that many privacy, open source, and internet advocates have been highlighting for years. The web browser market has largely divided into two camps: Google Chrome and browsers based on its web engine, and Apple Safari.
Firefox and its Gecko rendering engine are is an important third option, ensuring that web standards are kept alive and not dominated by two companies.
“This isn’t something we do because it’s profitable or easy,” said Surman. “We do it because it matters. The DOJ’s proposal doesn’t just miss the mark, it risks handing even more power to dominant industry players like Google or Apple, not less.”
Mozilla makes valid points in its blog post, points that Judge Mehta will hopefully consider when rendering hi judgment.
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