Google's search chief, Elizabeth Reid, testified on Tuesday that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) proposals to force the company to share its search data with competitors would “deeply undermine user trust.” The DOJ aims to break Google’s search monopoly by requiring the tech giant to syndicate its ranking signals and other search-related data to rival companies. However, Reid contends that such a move would compromise user privacy and attract more cyber threats to smaller, potentially less secure firms. According to Reid, once Google’s data is handed over to a qualifying competitor, it is beyond the company's control to ensure its protection. She pointed out that small startups are typically less attractive hacker targets due to their limited data troves, but this would change if they received large amounts of sensitive search queries from Google. “A startup is generally not a target because it’s small, but now it has this huge treasure trove of data,” Reid stated. Google is actively resisting the DOJ’s comprehensive demands, which also include compelling the company to sell its Chrome browser. Instead, the company is advocating for more modest adjustments to its search distribution contracts and planning to appeal the monopoly ruling, pending Judge Amit Mehta’s final decision on remedies. Reid highlighted that the sharing of search data could lead to broader trust issues with Google’s products and the internet search experience in general. Many users rely on Google for sensitive inquiries they might not even share with friends, she explained. “If suddenly they’re worried that data might go somewhere else, they might decide not to use Google altogether, or perhaps avoid searching for certain topics.” In contrast, the DOJ maintains that its proposals are essential to fostering competition in the search market. During its case-in-chief, the department presented testimony from a privacy expert, asserting that appropriate safeguards could ensure the safe sharing of search data. Reid also echoed concerns raised by Google CEO Sundar Pichai, suggesting that the data-sharing requirements could enable rivals or spammers to “reverse engineer” Google’s algorithms. This, she warned, could facilitate the spread of spam and misinformation within Google’s search results. She described the ongoing battle against such content as a “cat and mouse game,” which would become even more challenging if Google’s hands were “tied behind its back.” Furthermore, Reid indicated that complying with the DOJ's proposals would require significant engineering resources to be diverted from innovation to tedious compliance tasks. She estimated that over 20 percent of Google’s search engineering team would need to focus on these activities, given the scope and invasiveness of the mandates. “Even incremental changes to small features could trigger extra steps, so Google would likely shift its focus to areas less affected by the required remedies,” Reid added, though she did not specify which areas these might be. Reid concluded that maintaining the systems needed to distribute the extensive amount of data the DOJ requires would impede Google's ability to swiftly introduce new and improved search features. “It’s an incredibly large amount of work because these modules are constantly changing. The business value of syndication simply does not justify the cost,” she argued. The debate underscores the complex balance between enhancing competition and safeguarding user privacy and trust. While the DOJ sees its proposals as crucial for restoring a competitive landscape in the search market, Google views them as detrimental to both its operational efficiency and users' confidence in its services.