Google’s antitrust loss means it could face a breakup by the Justice Department

The Justice Department is considering several remedies after a judge last week ruled that Google is a monopoly, according to BloombergOne option currently being considered is the feared forced breakup, which hasn’t happened since AT&T broke up in the 1980s.

If the government decides to force a Google split, it will likely require the company to spin off two pillars of its current business, Android and Chrome. Although it seems a forced sale of AdWords could also be in the cards. If either comes to fruition, it would mean massive changes for the web, mobile and online advertising.

Ironically, forcing Google to get rid of Android could potentially lead to unintended consequences. Android is currently the only competitor to Apple’s iPhone, but it has undoubtedly been buoyed by the war chest funding that Google provides. It’s hard to say whether Android can continue to be a meaningful competitor to Apple now that it no longer has that support. It could potentially lead to Apple having a monopoly in the mobile space, something the Justice Department is trying to combat.

There are other options being discussed at the Justice Department that don’t go as far and would allow Google to remain whole. One of those options would require Google to share the data it collects from its search product with competitors like Microsoft’s Bing. Additionally, there could potentially be rules that would allow the company to scrape more data from the web to further develop its AI. In theory, these less stringent options should give competitors a better chance of fighting Google.

Ultimately, a forced separation would still need to be approved by the judge presiding over the case. Plus, the Justice Department has a variety of options available to it, without having to choose the boldest one.