On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) made a significant argument in court, saying that Google should sell off its Chrome web browser. They believe this step is necessary to help break up what they call Google’s illegal monopoly in online search. This argument was presented in a filing to the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.
The final decision about what kind of punishment Google will face rests with Judge Amit Mehta, who will be overseeing the case. This decision could lead to major changes for Google, one of the largest companies in the world, and could even alter how the internet works. The part of the trial where the judge decides on penalties is expected to start in 2025.
Earlier this year, in August, Judge Mehta ruled that Google is indeed an illegal monopoly because it has abused its power in the search engine market. He also expressed concerns about how Google controls various ways for people to access the internet and how it pays other companies to remain the default search engine on their devices.
In their latest filing, the DOJ pointed out that Google’s ownership of both the Android operating system and the Chrome browser makes it hard to create a competitive environment in online search. They suggested that Google should also consider selling off its Android system as a way to address its monopoly. However, they acknowledged that Google and its partners might oppose such a move. They proposed strict rules that would prevent Google from using Android to disadvantage its search competitors, warning that if Google doesn’t agree to these limitations, it should be forced to sell Android as well.
The DOJ also wants to restrict Google from making exclusive contracts with other companies, like the deal it has with Apple to be the default search engine on Apple devices. They argued that Google should share its search and ad data with its competitors to level the playing field.
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Additionally, the DOJ proposed that if Google does sell Chrome, it should not be allowed to enter the browser market again for five years. They also suggested that after selling Chrome, Google should not be able to acquire or own any competing advertising technology or AI products. Furthermore, they want to give publishers the option to stop Google from using their data to train its AI systems.
If the court agrees to these proposals, Google could face serious challenges in competing with companies like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Anthropic in the field of artificial intelligence.
In response, Google criticized the DOJ’s proposals, calling them extreme and claiming they would hurt American consumers and the technology industry. Kent Walker, Google’s chief legal officer, argued in a blog post that the DOJ’s plan goes far beyond what the court decided and could disrupt many of Google’s popular products, which people rely on every day.
Walker also raised concerns that the proposals could threaten user security and privacy, lower the quality of Google’s services like Chrome and Android, and negatively impact other companies that depend on Google Search, such as Mozilla Firefox. He warned that if these changes happen, it could make it harder for people to access Google Search and hurt Google’s competitiveness in the AI sector.
Walker concluded by saying that the DOJ’s approach would represent an unprecedented level of government interference that could harm consumers, developers, and small businesses, while also jeopardizing America’s position as a leader in technology and the global economy at a critical time.
Google is expected to submit its official response to the DOJ’s filing next month. The DOJ’s recent filing also confirmed earlier reports that they were considering pushing Google to sell Chrome, which currently holds about 61% of the browser market in the U.S., according to StatCounter, a web traffic analysis service.
