Mozilla is concerned about the proposed contractual remedies in the US Department of Justice’s antitrust case against Google. These remedies aim to improve search engine competition but may inadvertently harm independent browsers like Firefox, which play a crucial role in promoting consumer choice and protecting user privacy.
The proposed remedies could force smaller browsers like Firefox to fundamentally reexamine their operating model, jeopardizing their revenue streams and potentially strengthening the positions of powerful players without delivering meaningful improvements to search competition. This is not just about the future of one browser company but also about the future of the open and interoperable web.
Firefox has always provided users with multiple search options and easy access to change their default search engine. For seven years, Google was the default search engine in Firefox due to its superior search experience. However, Mozilla switched to Yahoo in 2014 and back to Google in 2017 after finding that Yahoo’s product did not meet user expectations.
The connection between browsers and search is vital, and independent browsers like Firefox remain a place where search engines can compete and users can choose freely. The search revenue generated by Firefox is used to advance Mozilla’s manifesto through the work of the Mozilla Foundation and its products.
Mozilla is also concerned about the impact on browser engines, which power web browsers and determine their speed and functionality. There are only three major browser engines left: Apple’s WebKit, Google’s Blink, and Mozilla’s Gecko, which powers Firefox.
The proposed remedies risk harming browser and browser engine competition without meaningfully advancing search engine competition. Mozilla urges the court to consider remedies that achieve its goals without harming independent browsers, browser engines, or ultimately, the web.
Source: https://blog.mozilla.org/en/mozilla/internet-policy/google-remedies-browsers