Google’s search chief, Elizabeth Reid, testified that the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) proposal to make Google share its search data with competitors would significantly harm user trust. The DOJ aims to level the playing field by forcing Google to syndicate its ranking signals and other search data. However, Reid argued that sharing this data could expose users’ private queries to less secure entities and incentivize hackers to target smaller competitors. She stated, “Once it’s turned over to a qualified competitor, there’s no further protection we can give.” Reid also warned that such measures might deter users from searching sensitive topics on Google. Additionally, she claimed that these proposals could allow rivals or spammers to reverse-engineer Google’s systems, making it harder to combat misinformation. The company is fighting the DOJ’s proposals, which include selling its Chrome browser, by advocating for more limited changes to its search distribution contracts. Reid emphasized that implementing these tools would divert engineering resources from innovation to compliance work. Furthermore, maintaining these tools would slow down Google’s ability to improve user experiences.
— new from The Verge
