The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is calling for Alphabet Inc.,the parent company of Google, to sell its Chrome browser.
This follows an August ruling that determined Google had unlawfully monopolised the search engine market.
According to insiders, the DOJ will request that U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, who presided over the earlier case, impose additional remedies targeting Google’s Android operating system and its artificial intelligence practices.
This is one of the most significant moves by the Biden administration to rein in Big Tech’s influence over digital markets.
Chrome, which commands nearly two-thirds of the global browser market, is at the heart of Google’s advertising empire. Its integration with Google Search and its ability to collect user data have been critical in bolstering the company’s dominance in online advertising.
Reports reveal that Chrome’s pervasive presence limits competition, while Google maintains that its products succeed based on quality and consumer choice.
In a statement, Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google’s vice president for Regulatory Affairs, described the DOJ’s proposals as part of a “radical agenda” that risks harming consumers rather than promoting competition.
Google plans to appeal any final rulings it finds unfavourable, with Judge Mehta expected to deliver a decision on remedies by August 2025.
Potential corrective measures include ending agreements in which Google pays substantial sums to device makers like Apple to make its search engine the default option.
Again, the DOJ is considering requiring Google to provide advertisers with greater control over where their ads appear and more options for content creators to limit their materials from being used in Google’s AI products.
The DOJ may reserve the Google Chrome divestiture as a last resort if other measures fail to create a competitive marketplace.
Meanwhile, Google insists its search engine faces competition from platforms like Amazon and that users retain the freedom to switch to alternative browsers or search engines.
A trial on the proposed remedies is scheduled for April 2025.
