The US Justice Department said in a new court filing that it may recommend a break up of Google (GOOG, GOOGL) as an antidote to unhealthy competition in the search engine market, showing just how far Washington is willing to go to rein in Big Tech.
DOJ lawyers used a 32-page document to outline a framework of options for DC District Court Judge Amit Mehta to consider, including "behavioral and structural remedies that would prevent Google from using products such as Chrome, Play, and Android to advantage Google search."
Google in a blog post said that "DOJ’s radical and sweeping proposals risk hurting consumers, businesses, and developers."
Its stock fell slightly in pre-market trading Wednesday.
The proposal is the first step from the Justice Department to break up a tech empire since it tried to do so more than two decades ago with Microsoft (MSFT).