A US federal judge has ruled that Google will not have to sell its Chrome browser or Android operating system but must stop exclusive contracts and share search data with competitors, following a lengthy antitrust case over its dominance in online search.
The Department of Justice had pushed for a Chrome sell-off, but Judge Amit Mehta called it a “poor fit,” instead ordering Google to end exclusive deals and open the market to rival search engines and assistants.
The ruling, which boosted Alphabet shares by 8%, was hailed as a victory by Google, though critics such as DuckDuckGo said it fell short of addressing monopolistic practices.
The case highlights growing scrutiny of Google’s practices, with another trial over advertising monopolies set to begin later this month.
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