technology
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Justice Department and state prosecutors investigating Google for alleged antitrust violations are considering whether to force the company to sell its dominant Chrome browser and parts of its lucrative advertising business, three people with knowledge of the discussions said Friday.
The conversations — amid preparations for an antitrust legal battle that DOJ is expected to begin in the coming weeks — could pave the way for the first court-ordered break-up of a U.S. company in decades. The forced sales would also represent major setbacks for Google, which uses its control of the world’s most popular web browser to aid the search engine that is the key to its fortunes.
Discussions about how to resolve Google’s control over the $162.3 billion global market for digital advertising remain ongoing, and no final decisions have been made, the people cautioned, speaking anonymously to discuss confidential discussions. But prosecutors have asked advertising technology experts, industry rivals and media publishers for potential steps to weaken Google’s grip.
DOJ is separately preparing an antitrust suit accusing Google of abusing its control on the online search market, which the department could file as soon as next week. Targets of that complaint are expected to include the ways Google uses its Android mobile operating system to help entrench its search engine, POLITICO reported last week.
Spokespeople for Google and the Justice Department declined to comment Friday.
The expected litigation comes as Google and fellow tech industry heavyweights Facebook, Amazon and Apple are facing growing scrutiny from both Republicans and Democrats in Washington for issues such as their squashing of competitors, treatment of users’ private data and handling of disinformation in the presidential race.
One major question facing the prosecutors in both suits: What fixes should they seek to curb Google’s power?
In the advertising investigation, DOJ and
Google isn’t exactly a name you associate with urban planning, but newly released renders for its San Jose campus are… pleasantly surprising. Unlike the typical closed-off tech campuses, the Downtown West project looks like an open plan neighborhood that’s actually part of the city itself.
In a roughly 40-minute video presentation, Google explained that it wasn’t interested in building a cookie-cutter campus that centered around a single building. Instead, it says it wants the roughly 80-acre campus to include residential spaces, amenities for the public, lots of open green space, and utilize existing historic buildings in the area. This is counter to some major campuses—like the Apple campus which is a feat of architecture hidden from public view by tall walls, or the campuses of HP or Microsoft, which are relatively remote despite being close to major population areas.
In its announcement blog, Google highlighted some early-stage illustrations for a few of the key concept areas. For example, “The Gateway” (which is the top photo for this blog) is meant to be a 0.75-acre open space that integrates the San Jose Water Company Building and surrounding residential neighborhoods. The idea is for it to be a “flexible plaza for temporary pop-up programming and events,” and include amenities like an amphitheater that’s also open for public use.
G/O Media may get a commission
There’s also “The Meander,” a 1.56-acre urban promenade that will house a lawn for events, screenings, and performances, as well as outdoor seating. Google says it envisions this area to be an arts and culture center that is “an inviting place to spend time with friends and family”, and that the area will be closed to cars.
The last specific area Google outlined is “The Creekside Walk,” which is meant
Google v. Oracle, a decade-long war over the future of software, neared its end in the Supreme Court this week as a battle of metaphors. Over the course of two hours, justices and attorneys compared Java — the coding language that Oracle acquired in 2010 — to a restaurant menu, a hit song, a football team, an accounting system, the instructions for finding a blend of spices in a grocery store, a safecracking manual, and the QWERTY keyboard layout.
“Prediction: The side that wins the metaphor battle will win the case,” tweeted University of Oklahoma College of Law professor Sarah Burstein.
The reliance on familiar analogies wasn’t necessarily surprising. Google v. Oracle covers a complex question: what elements of computer code can be copyrighted, and if that code is covered by copyright, when it’s still legal to use pieces of it under fair use. The argument dates back a decade to when Google reverse-engineered Java while building its Android platform. In the process, it copied the “structure, sequence, and organization” of some Java application programming interface (API) packages, which enable basic computing actions. Oracle sued, and after multiple trials and a coronavirus-related delay, the Supreme Court heard the argument this week.
After a morning of long-delayed oral arguments on Wednesday, both sides declared a win. Google head of global affairs Kent Walker said the court “confirmed the importance” of the legal rights protecting software interoperability, while Oracle general counsel Dorian Daley declared that the court would “agree with us that all software is covered by copyright.” Tiffany Li, a fellow at Yale Law School’s Information Society Project, cautioned against reading too much into the proceedings. “It’s difficult to guess how a case will turn out based on the arguments,”
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Chromecast with Google TV
The new $50 Chromecast with Google TV is Google’s first real rival to the Roku and Amazon Fire TV.
It brings a lot of features that never existed on a Chromecast before, like a full remote and brand new Google TV software that makes it easier to find movies and TV shows. And it ties into all sorts of services, like Hulu, HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+ and more.
Previously, the Chromecast let you play content on your computer, but you had to select content on your phone. Now it has a whole new software experience, which makes it feel a lot more like a Roku, Amazon Fire TV or an Apple TV. It means Google might finally be able to take some market share away from leaders Amazon and Roku.
Here’s what you need to know about it.
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Chromecast with Google TV
The new Chromecast is super simple to use. You just plug it in to your TV’s HDMI port — every modern TV has one — and turn it on.
The Google TV software has seven menu options at the top of the screen that are really straightforward: Search, For You, Live, Movies, Shows, Apps and Library. I like that the “For You” page pulls in movies and TV shows from subscriptions you pay for, like Hulu or Netflix, and that you don’t have to open those apps to see
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