Apple (AAPL.O) held talks with DuckDuckGo to replace Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google as the default search engine for the private mode on Apple's Safari browser, the Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the discussions.
The details of the talks are expected to be released later this week, according to the report, after Judge Amit Mehta, overseeing a federal antitrust suit against Google, ruled on Wednesday that he would unseal the testimony of DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg and Apple executive John Giannandrea.The talks about potential deals between Microsoft and Apple and DuckDuckGo and Apple will be unsealed, the report said, citing Mehta in an order from the bench.
Apple, DuckDuckGo and Google did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Last month, the U.S. Department of Justice in a landmark U.S. trial argued Google, which has some 90% of the search market, illegally paid $10 billion annually to smartphone makers such as Apple and wireless carriers like AT&T (T.N) and others to be the default in search on their devices in order to stay on top.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella testified on Monday, saying that tech giants were competing for vast troves of content needed to train artificial intelligence, and complained Google was locking up content with expensive and exclusive deals with publishers.
He added that Microsoft had sought to make its Bing search engine the default on Apple smartphones but was rebuffed.
Latest Stories
-
Ghana and Seychelles strengthen bilateral ties with focus on key sectors
12 mins -
National Elections Security Taskforce meets political party heads ahead of December elections
16 mins -
Samsung’s AI-powered innovations honored by Consumer Technology Association
36 mins -
Fugitive Zambian MP arrested in Zimbabwe – minister
54 mins -
Town council in Canada at standstill over refusal to take King’s oath
1 hour -
Trump picks Pam Bondi as attorney general after Matt Gaetz withdraws
1 hour -
Providing quality seeds to farmers is first step towards achieving food security in Ghana
1 hour -
Thousands of PayPal customers report brief outage
2 hours -
Gary Gensler to leave role as SEC chairman
2 hours -
Contraceptive pills recalled in South Africa after mix-up
2 hours -
Patient sues Algerian author over claims he used her in novel
2 hours -
Kenya’s president cancels major deals with Adani Group
2 hours -
COP29: Africa urged to invest in youth to lead fight against climate change
3 hours -
How Kenya’s evangelical president has fallen out with churches
3 hours -
‘Restoring forests or ravaging Ghana’s green heritage?’ – Coalition questions Akufo-Addo’s COP 29 claims
3 hours