[단독외신] Google blasts DOJ’s lawsuit: ‘This isn’t the dial-up 1990s’

Google responded to the Department of Justice’s blockbuster lawsuit against it on Tuesday by suggesting that the law enforcement agency is stuck in the past.

In a snark-laden blog post, Google’s chief legal officer Kent Walker denied claims that the company is forcing consumer to use its search engine —saying that even an idiot can figure out how to switch browsers.

“This isn’t the dial-up 1990s, when changing services was slow and difficult, and often required you to buy and install software with a CD-ROM,” Walker’s post read, adding that it is “trivially easy” to change the default search engine on Google’s Chrome browser.

The post came complete with examples about exactly how many clicks it actually takes to change the default search engine on the Apple’s Safari browser, as well as on iPhones and Android devices.

“Changing your search engine in Safari is easy,” Walker writes. “On desktop, one click and you’re presented with a range of options.”

“This lawsuit claims that Americans aren’t sophisticated enough to do this. But we know that’s not true,” he said

The sassy memo was Google’s attempt to slap back at the DOJ’s claims that the tech giant has been exploiting its market dominance to maintain an iron grip on its position as the “gateway to the internet.”

The DOJ’s lawsuit is the biggest challenge to big tech in 22 years, and accuses Google of breaking the law by disadvantaging competitors in an effort to sell more online search ads.

Google’s questionable tactics include a massive contract worth billions of dollars with Apple to make it the default search engine on the iPhone, as well as ensuring that its search engine is pre-loaded onto smartphones using Alphabet’s Android operating system — which runs the majority of phones around the world.

The Mountain View, Calif.-company’s consolidation of market share has “had harmful effects on competition and consumers,” the DOJ said.