this post was submitted on 02 Sep 2025
364 points (98.9% liked)

Technology

74872 readers
3045 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.

Our Rules

  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related news or articles.
  3. Be excellent to each other!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, this includes using AI responses and summaries. To ask if your bot can be added please contact a mod.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
  10. Accounts 7 days and younger will have their posts automatically removed.

Approved Bots

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
L3s@lemmy.world
enu@lemmy.world
technopagan@lemmy.world
L4s@lemmy.world
L3s@hackingne.ws
L4s@hackingne.ws
364
Google gets to keep Chrome, judge rules in search antitrust case (www.theverge.com)
submitted 4 days ago by VITecNet@programming.dev to c/technology@lemmy.world
63 comments fedilink hide all child comments
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] otter@lemmy.ca 25 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (3 children)

I think they're referring to Firefox's funding, a lot of which was through search deals

An article from 5 years ago: https://www.pcmag.com/news/mozilla-signs-lucrative-3-year-google-search-deal-for-firefox

edit: seems like that hasn't changed by this ruling either

United States District Judge Amit Mehta has ruled that Google can continue to pay other companies, including browser makers like Mozilla, to be their default search engine.

https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/09/google-antitrust-ruling-firefox-search-deal

[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 12 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (2 children)

From the article you linked:

In return for Google being the default search engine in Firefox, Mozilla is expected to bank $400M+ a year.

Literally what I am talking about. I can still switch away from the default. No other search companies are being denied access to being set as the default search engine in Firefox. Google just pays a premium so they are the default out of the box, which would not be anti-competitive under this order.

bar the search giant from making exclusive deals to distribute its search or AI assistant products in ways that might cut off distribution for rivals.

This by definition does not cut off their distribution in Firefox. Google can still make this deal with Mozilla. It is not an exclusivity deal, it's a default search engine deal. Exclusivity or cutting off distribution would be making Google the only search engine option in Firefox.

[–] otter@lemmy.ca 11 points 4 days ago (1 children)

https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/09/google-antitrust-ruling-firefox-search-deal

United States District Judge Amit Mehta has ruled that Google can continue to pay other companies, including browser makers like Mozilla, to be their default search engine.

I see, I'll edit my other comment. So what even changes then, were they even making exclusive deals in the past? The discussion I remember was about how being the default made it difficult for others to compete since most people don't change the defaults.

[–] Ghoelian@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I think that was mainly solved (here in the EU at least) by requiring a choice of search engine when first opening a browser.

[–] kilgore_trout@feddit.it 2 points 3 days ago

I don't remember this being enforced.

[–] monogram@feddit.nl 3 points 4 days ago

I’m questioning why they would make such a lucrative deal with Mozilla in the future, now that antitrust is just a front for government extortion

[–] black_flag@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 4 days ago

Thank you for clarifying.