US DoJ To Push Google To Sell Off Chrome Browser – Report

Alphabet’s Google is facing a number of stark potential outcomes as US Justice Department officials seek to dismantle its online monopoly.

Bloomberg reported that the US Justice Department (DoJ) plans to ask a judge to force Google to sell off its Chrome browser, which could be worth as much as $20 billion if the judge orders its sale.

It comes after a landmark ruling was made in August by Judge Amit Mehta, who stated “the court reaches the following conclusion: Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly.”

Monopoly ruling

Judge Mehta found that Google had violated antitrust law by spending billions of dollars to create an illegal monopoly and become the world’s default search engine.

Soon after that historic ruling, reports suggested the United States was considering a rare antitrust option that could entail the corporate breakup of Alphabet’s Google.

The DoJ last month filed court papers saying it was considering enforcing “structural remedies” to prevent Google from using some its products. This included asking a federal judge to force Google to sell parts of its business in order to eliminate its online search monopoly.

The filing revealed that the structural changes were to stop Google from leveraging products such as its Chrome browser, Android operating system, AI products or app store to benefit its search business.

The US DoJ is also seeking action on Google’s default search agreements with companies such as Apple etc.

Now Bloomberg has reported that US justice department officials plan to ask a judge to force Google to sell off its Chrome browser to dismantle the monopoly.

The DoJ will reportedly push for Google to sell the browser and also ask a judge to require new measures related to artificial intelligence (AI) as well as its Android smartphone operating system.

Officials also reportedly plan to recommend that the federal judge Amit Mehta imposes data licensing requirements.

Google response

Google said it will challenge any case by the DoJ.

It reportedly said the proposals marked an “overreach” by the government that would harm consumers.

Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google’s vice-president of regulatory affairs, reportedly said the DoJ continued to push a “radical agenda that goes far beyond the legal issues in this case”.

Google has to submit its proposed remedies in response to the DoJ by 20 December 2024.

Trump administration

It remains to be seen whether the incoming Trump administration will continue to pursue big tech in the same aggressive style as the Biden administration.

But it should be noted that the DoJ antitrust suit against Google for monopolising search and search advertising was filed back in 2020, under the previous Trump administration, and the inquiry continued under President Joe Biden.

Another antitrust lawsuit was filed against Google after the DoJ, along with a number of Attorneys Generals from US states filed a civil antitrust suit against Google for monopolising multiple digital advertising technology products in violation of Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act in January 2022.

The Google antitrust trial began on 12 September 2023 to November of last year and concluded with closing statements in May 2024.

It saw Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella testify that “everybody talks about the open web, but there is really the Google web.”

“Google is winning because it’s better,” Google lawyer John Schmidtlein had said in closing statements earlier this year.