The Federal Trade Commission has filed an amicus brief supporting the Department of Justice’s Revised Proposed Final Judgment (RPFJ) aimed at addressing Google’s antitrust violations. In August 2024, a federal court found that Google violated Section 2 of the Sherman Act by maintaining monopolies in general search services and general text advertising. To remedy these violations, the DOJ proposed that Google share selected parts of its search index, user data, and ad data with qualified competitors for a limited time, while enforcing strict privacy and security safeguards. The FTC emphasized that these measures are consistent with its own privacy and data-security standards, highlighting its role as the nation’s main privacy enforcement agency.
The FTC’s brief stated that the RPFJ mirrors privacy safeguards the agency has required in previous enforcement actions and may encourage market competition based on data protection. The proposal includes the creation of a Technical Committee of independent experts to oversee data handling and ensure privacy compliance by both Google and its competitors. The brief also pointed to Google’s past privacy violations, including breaches of previous FTC orders. The Commission approved the filing of the amicus brief with a 1-0-2 vote, with two commissioners recused due to prior involvement in related legal matters.
