Google may be asked by DOJ to sell the Chrome browser
The Justice Department will recommend to a federal judge that Google sell its Chrome browser business as part of its ongoing search monopoly case. Bloomberg reports.
This comes months after a judge ruled that Alphabet-owned Google violated antitrust law by illegally maintaining a search monopoly. By making its own search engine the default choice on devices, Google denies rival search engines the ability to compete, and therefore denies people the opportunity to experience alternatives, the DOJ argued.
Since then, the tech industry has speculated on how Google will handle the ruling and whether it would lead to a breakup of the company. The sale of Chrome or Google’s Android business were part of that speculation.
Check this out: Judge says Google is an illegal monopoly: what now?
The DOJ’s recommendation to federal judge Amit Mehta would be a step Google will take, according to the report. The DOJ is also reportedly looking for changes regarding the company’s AI and Android businesses. The request would include new data licensing requirements for Google.
The application is expected to be submitted on Wednesday.
“The DOJ continues to pursue a radical agenda that goes far beyond the legal issues in this case,” Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google VP of Regulatory Affairs, said in a statement. “For the government to put its thumb on the scale in this way would harm consumers, developers and America’s technology leadership just when it is needed most.”
Google is just one of many major tech companies in the US dealing with antitrust complaints. Apple and Amazon have each been charged with monopolistic or anti-competitive conduct, and with the appointment of a new chairman of the Federal Communications Commission who has pledged to go after tech companies, more action could be taken against Big Tech, especially social-tech companies, in 2025. media services.
