Apple is discussing with DuckDuckGo, eyeing it as a replacement for Google as the default search engine for Safari’s private browsing mode, as disclosed by Bloomberg News on Wednesday. This news emerged amid a substantial federal antitrust lawsuit against Google under the scrutiny of Judge Amit Mehta.
Details of the dialogue set to be unveiled
As per the information, the specifics of these dialogues are slated to be made public later this week. This follows a directive from Judge Mehta, who, on Wednesday, asserted that the testimony of Gabriel Weinberg, DuckDuckGo’s CEO, and Apple executive John Giannandrea, would be made public. The conversations between DuckDuckGo and Apple and those involving Microsoft and Apple are expected to be revealed as per Mehta’s bench order.
Last month witnessed a significant development when the U.S. Department of Justice, during a notable trial, argued that Google, commanding a whopping 90% of the search market, had been illegally paying out US$10 billion each year to smartphone producers like Apple and network carriers including AT&T, to retain its default search engine status on their devices.
Moreover, the scenario heated up when Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, during his testimony on Monday, remarked that the tech behemoths were vying for the massive content reservoirs necessary for honing artificial intelligence. He voiced his discontent over Google securing content through high-priced, exclusive agreements with publishers, which he deemed a roadblock for Microsoft in its bid to establish Bing as the default search engine on Apple smartphones, a proposal that Apple should have warmed up to.
DuckDuckGo’s potential as Apple’s private search engine
DuckDuckGo, renowned for its privacy-centric search service, had the potential to become the go-to choice for private browsing on Safari. However, the negotiations allegedly didn’t materialise due to Google’s dominating influence. Many such prospective deals have surfaced with the Department of Justice delving into Google’s possible antitrust practices and power abuse through a bench trial. Among them were proposals from Microsoft urging Apple to transition to Bing or even consider an acquisition, but these also stumbled due to Google’s financial allure.
The unfolding of this case could affect both Google and Apple, depending on the court’s final adjudication, marking a significant chapter in the narrative of tech giants and their quest for dominance in the digital space.
