The DOJ urges Google to separate Chrome browser following its antitrust case.
The United States Department of Justice contended on Wednesday that Google ought to divest its Chrome browser as part of a solution to dismantle the company’s unlawful monopoly in online search, as stated in a filing with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Should the DOJ’s proposed remedy be accepted, Google would be barred from re-entering the search market for a period of five years.
Ultimately, the determination of Google’s final penalty will rest with District Court Judge Amit Mehta, a ruling that could significantly impact one of the largest corporations globally and reshape the internet’s framework as it currently exists. This phase of the trial is anticipated to commence in 2025.
In August, Judge Mehta ruled that Google constituted an illegal monopoly due to its exploitation of power within the search industry. The judge also expressed concerns regarding Google’s dominance over various internet gateways and the company’s financial arrangements with third parties to maintain its position as the default search engine.
The DOJ’s recent filing indicated that Google’s ownership of Android and Chrome, which serve as crucial distribution channels for its search operations, presents “a significant challenge” in implementing remedies to foster competition in the search market.
Additionally, the Justice Department proposed alternative remedies to tackle the search giant’s monopoly, including the divestiture of its Android mobile operating system. The filing acknowledged that Google and its partners might oppose such a spin-off and suggested stringent measures, including prohibiting the use of Android to disadvantage its search competitors. The DOJ indicated that if Google does not impose restrictions on Android, it should be compelled to divest it.
Prosecutors further asserted that the company should be barred from entering into exclusionary contracts with third-party browser or phone manufacturers, such as its agreement with Apple to serve as the default search engine on all Apple devices.
Moreover, the DOJ argued that Google should be required to license its search data, along with advertising click data, to its competitors.
Furthermore, the Department of Justice outlined stipulations that prevent Google from re-entering the browser market for a period of five years following the company’s divestiture of Chrome. Additionally, it suggested that post-sale of Chrome, Google should refrain from acquiring or owning any competing ad text search, query-based AI products, or advertising technologies. Moreover, the document specified provisions allowing publishers to opt out of Google utilizing their data for the training of AI models.
Google’s response
In its response, Google characterized the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) recent filing as an “extreme interventionist agenda” that would negatively impact individuals in the United States and undermine the nation’s technological capabilities on a global scale.
Kent Walker, Google’s president of global affairs and chief legal officer, stated in a blog post that the DOJ’s excessively broad proposal extends far beyond the Court’s ruling. He emphasized that it would disrupt a variety of Google products—beyond just Search—that users appreciate and rely on in their daily activities.
Walker further contended that the proposal would jeopardize user security and privacy, degrade the quality of Chrome and Android, and adversely affect services like Mozilla Firefox, which relies on Google Search.
He warned that if the proposal is enacted, it would restrict users’ access to Google Search and hinder the company’s competitive edge in the artificial intelligence sector.
“The DOJ’s strategy would lead to unprecedented governmental overreach, harming American consumers, developers, and small businesses, while threatening the United States’ global economic and technological leadership at a critical time,” he remarked.
The company plans to submit its response to this filing next month.
The filing on Wednesday corroborates previous reports indicating that prosecutors are contemplating requiring Google to divest Chrome, which holds approximately 61% of the U.S. browser market, according to web traffic analysis firm StatCounter.
