US Department Of Justice To Plead Court For Directing Google To Sell Chrome

US Department Of Justice To Plead Court For Directing Google To Sell Chrome

The breakup would mark an overwhelming change by government regulators

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) intends to request a court to direct Alphabet, Google’s parent company, to sell its widely used Chrome browser in a major antitrust crackdown.

Recently, antitrust officials said they demanded Google make profound changes to business and consider a breakup after the internet giant was accused of practicing an illegal monopoly.

In a court filing, the government stated that it was considering options that included ‘structural’ changes and sought a divestment of smartphone Android operating system or Chrome.

The breakup would mark an overwhelming change by government regulators, which have largely left tech giants alone since failing to break up Microsoft two decades ago. Google had then dismissed the idea as ‘radical’.

Adam Kovacevich, the chief executive of industry trade group Chamber of Progress argued that the DoJ officials defied legal standards instead of suggesting remedies.

Determining how to address Google's wrongs is the next stage of a recent landmark antitrust trial, wherein District Court Judge Amit Mehta stated that the company ruled a monopoly. Requiring Google to make its search data available to rivals was also on the table.

Meanwhile, Google is likely to appeal the ruling and prolong the process for reaching the US Supreme Court.

Concluded last year, the trial scrutinized Google's confidential agreements with smartphone manufacturers, including Apple. The deals involved substantial payments to secure Google's search engine as the default option on browsers, iPhones and other devices.

The judge ruled that the plan provided Google unparalleled access to user data to develop its search engine into a globally dominant platform. It expanded its tech empire to include Chrome, Maps and the Android smartphone operating system.

The judgment stated that the internet titan controlled 90 percent of the US online search market in 2020, with an even higher share (95 percent), on mobile devices.

The remedies sought will include imposing measures to curb Google’s artificial intelligence (AI) from tapping into website data and barring the Android mobile operating system from bundling with the company's other offerings.