Mozilla strongly opposes DOJ's Google Search restrictions that could backfire on browser competition

The US Department of Justice recently proposed tough remedies in its antitrust case against Google. The goal is to break Google’s grip on the search market. But Mozilla is pushing back hard. They say these rules could hurt browser competition instead of helping it.

Mozilla’s big worry is the DOJ’s plan to stop all search payments from Google to browsers. That includes independent ones like Firefox. For Mozilla, this isn’t just a small hit. Search revenue is a lifeline. It keeps Firefox running and funds its development. Big players like Apple don’t feel the same pinch. They’ve got cash flowing from iPhones, MacBooks, and app stores. But for Mozilla, losing this money could mean trouble.

Mark Surman, Mozilla’s president, put it bluntly. “These remedies miss the bigger picture,” he said. “Everyday internet users will suffer most.” He’s got a point. Independent browsers like Firefox fight for privacy and give people options. Without funding, they could fade away. That leaves the web in the hands of giants like Google, Apple, and Microsoft.

The stakes get higher when you look at browser engines. These are the tech guts that make browsers work. Right now, there are only three big ones left. Google’s Chromium powers Chrome and more. Apple’s Webkit runs Safari. Then there’s Mozilla’s Gecko, the last real rival to Chromium that works everywhere. If Mozilla can’t keep Gecko going, Chromium could take over. Surman warned, “It’s game over for an open, independent web.”

This isn’t a new trend either. Microsoft ditched its own engine years ago. Opera did the same. Everyone’s jumping on Chromium. If one engine rules them all, who controls the web? Mozilla thinks the DOJ’s plan could speed up that nightmare.

Even with a smaller slice of the market, Mozilla matters. Firefox has millions of users — 205 million globally. More than that, it shapes how the web works. Gecko helps set standards that keep the internet open. Mozilla also pushes for privacy tech that puts users first. “We do it because it matters,” Surman said. However, let’s not forget that Mozilla was also recently involved in a massive controversy surrounding changes to its usages terms, which it then updated after the backlash.

That said, the DOJ wants to shake up search competition. But Mozilla argues this fix could break something else. If independent browsers like Firefox get squeezed out, the web might end up less competitive, not more. Mozilla’s asking regulators to think twice. Protect the little guys, they say. Keep the web open and diverse. Otherwise, we might all lose out.