The United States Department of Justice recently made a bold move by suggesting that Google should sell its Chrome browser to address the issue of its monopoly in online search. This proposal, if approved, would prevent Google from re-entering the search market for a period of five years. The decision on Google’s final punishment lies in the hands of District Court Judge Amit Mehta, with the trial expected to begin in 2025.
Judge Mehta had previously ruled that Google was operating as an illegal monopoly due to its misuse of power in the search business. The court also raised concerns about Google controlling essential gateways to the internet and making payments to third parties to maintain its position as the default search engine.
The DOJ’s latest filing highlighted the challenges posed by Google’s ownership of Android and Chrome, which are crucial distribution channels for its search business. The proposed remedies include the spin-off of Google’s Android mobile operating system, with suggestions of strict limitations to prevent any unfair advantage to its search competitors. The Justice Department also recommended prohibiting Google from engaging in exclusionary contracts with browser or phone companies, such as the default search engine deal with Apple.
Furthermore, the DOJ proposed that Google should share its search data and ad click data with its rivals. The document also outlined conditions that would prevent Google from re-entering the browser market for five years after selling off Chrome. Additionally, Google would be restricted from acquiring rival ad text search, query-based AI products, or ads technology post the Chrome sale. The provisions also included options for publishers to opt-out of Google using their data to train AI models.
If these remedies are accepted by the court, Google may face significant challenges in competing with other players in the AI technology sector, such as OpenAI, Microsoft, and Anthropic.
In response to the DOJ’s filing, Google criticized the proposed remedies as a “radical interventionist agenda” that could harm users in the U.S. and the country’s technological advancements. Kent Walker, Google’s president of global affairs and chief legal officer, argued that the proposal would negatively impact Google’s products, security, privacy, and services like Mozilla Firefox that rely on Google Search.
Walker expressed concerns that the proposal would limit people’s access to Google Search and hinder the company’s progress in the AI race. He described the DOJ’s approach as an overreach that could potentially harm American consumers, developers, and small businesses, jeopardizing the country’s global economic and technological leadership.
Google is preparing to file its response to the DOJ’s latest filing in the coming month. The move to push Google to spin off Chrome comes as no surprise, considering the browser’s dominant position in the U.S. market, controlling around 61% of the browser market share, according to StatCounter.
Overall, the outcome of this case could have far-reaching implications for Google, the tech industry, and the future of competition in the online search and browser market. The decision made by Judge Mehta in 2025 will undoubtedly shape the landscape of the internet and the business practices of tech giants like Google.
