US asks Google to sell Chrome, end search engine monopoly

The United States Justice Department on Friday demanded that Google sell of its Chrome web browser. This is the continuation of the Biden administration's aggressive approach to reining in technology giants by the Trump administration.

In a court filing, the department urged Justice Amit P. Mehta force Google to divest Chrome and end practices that allowed the search giant to maintain what the court ruled last year was an illegal monopoly in online search.

The proposal says that Google must "promptly and fully divest Chrome, along with any assets or services necessary to successfully complete the divestiture, to a buyer approved by the Plaintiffs in their sole discretion, subject to terms that the Court and Plaintiffs approve."

No matter what occurs — Google always wins

"Google's illegal conduct has created an economic goliath, one that wreaks havoc over the marketplace to ensure that — no matter what occurs — Google always wins," the government said in Friday's filing. "The American people thus are forced to accept the unbridled demands and shifting, ideological preferences of an economic leviathan in return for a search engine the public may enjoy."

This comes after Justice Mehta's landmark August 2024 ruling that Google illegally maintained its search monopoly by paying web browsers and smartphone manufacturers to feature its search engine. Evidence during the 2023 trial showed that Google paid $26.3 billion for these arrangements in 2021 alone.

"Through its sheer size and unrestricted power, Google has robbed consumers and businesses of a fundamental promise owed to the public—their right to choose among competing services," the DOJ statement accompanying the filing claims.

Justice Mehta noted that about 70 per cent of US search queries happen through portals where Google is the default search engine, with Google's revenue-sharing agreements making it impossible for smaller search rivals to compete.

The department of Justice wants Google from entering into paid agreements with Apple, Mozilla and

The Justice Department wants Google to stop entering into paid agreements with Apple, Mozilla, and smartphone makers to be the default search engine. It also asks the court to force Google to allow rival search engines to display Google's results and access its data for a decade.

DOJ makes changes to its earlier proposals to Google

The government no longer demands Google to divest its artificial intelligence (AI) products, instead the tech giant now requires to notify federal and state officials before proceeding with AI investments.

Google, which might appeal Justice Mehta's ruling, filed its own proposal on Friday. It maintained its position that minimal changes are needed. The company suggested payments for prime placement location be continued but with less restrictive agreements that permit other search engines to compete for placement on phones and browsers.

"The government's proposals would harm America's consumers, economy and national security," Google spokesman Peter Schottenfels said in a statement.

Google's chief legal officer, Kent Walker, previously called the government's proposal a "radical interventionist agenda" that would "endanger the security and privacy of millions of Americans" and stifle innovation.

Justice Mehta is scheduled to hear arguments on the competing proposals in April, though Google has already indicated it will appeal whatever remedy is ordered, likely beginning a years-long legal process.