Google will confront the U.S. government's latest attempt to topple its internet empire in federal court on Friday as a judge considers how to prevent the abusive tactics that culminated in parts of its digital ad network being branded as an illegal monopoly. The courtroom showdown in Alexandria, Virginia, will pit lawyers from Google and the U.S. Department of Justice against each other in closing proceedings focused on the complex technology that distributes millions of digital ads across the internet e ...

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Core Viewpoint - The Justice Department has dropped a proposal to force Google to divest its investments in AI companies, including Anthropic, while still pursuing a court order for Google to sell its Chrome browser to address its alleged illegal search monopoly [1][3]. Group 1: Legal Actions and Proposals - The DOJ and a coalition of 38 state attorneys general are seeking a court order requiring Google to sell its Chrome browser and implement other measures to address its illegal search monopoly as determined by a judge [1][3]. - The DOJ initially proposed the divestment of AI investments in November but later concluded that such a ban could have unintended consequences in the evolving AI landscape [4]. - Google has proposed loosening agreements with Apple and others to maintain its status as the default search engine on new devices, with a trial scheduled for April [5]. Group 2: Competitive Landscape - Google holds a minority stake in Anthropic, valued at billions of dollars, and losing this investment could benefit OpenAI and its partner Microsoft [3][8]. - The DOJ's approach has been criticized by Google, which argues that it could hinder the company's ability to compete in AI and threaten the U.S.'s global economic and technological leadership [7]. Group 3: Ongoing Investigations and Broader Context - The case against Google is part of a broader crackdown on Big Tech companies initiated during the Trump administration and continued under President Biden, with other companies like Apple, Meta Platforms, and Amazon also facing similar allegations [6].