Despite my continuing differences with various specific aspects of Google operations that I feel could be straightforwardly improved to the benefit of their users, I can’t emphasize enough what an utter disaster the DOJ proposed Google antitrust “remedies” would be for the privacy and security of their users and consumers more broadly, and for the overall usability of these crucial services as well.
Google privacy and security standards and teams are world class, and I have enormous trust in them. Keeping email and the many other Google services that billions of people rely on in their everyday lives safe and secure is an enormously complex and continually evolving effort, and key to this — as well as making sure that users’ data entrusted to Google is not put at risk by firms with less stringent standards than Google — is the integrated nature of the Chrome browser, Android, and other aspects of Google services. Even with this integration, it’s a monumental task.
Breaking these aspects of Google apart in the name of supposed “competition” — that would actually only make most non-technical users’ interactions with tech more confusing and complicated, just what consumers clearly don’t want — would be a gargantuan mistake that consumers would unfortunately end up paying for in a myriad number of ways for many years.
Google is far from perfect, but DOJ seems hell-bent on pushing an antitrust agenda in this case that would make consumers’ lives far worse instead of better. Whether that’s a result of DOJ ignoring the technical realities in play or simply not really understanding them, it’s the wrong path and would lead to a very bad place indeed for all of us.
–Lauren–