US Justice department urges Google to sell Chrome

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has urged a federal court to compel Google to divest its Chrome browser as part of a proposed remedy to dismantle the tech giant’s alleged monopoly in online search. In a filing submitted Wednesday to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the DOJ also recommended barring Google from re-entering the search market for five years should the remedy be approved.

The final decision on penalties rests with District Court Judge Amit Mehta, whose ruling could potentially reshape the operations of one of the world’s largest companies and significantly alter the internet’s current structure. The penalty phase of the trial is slated to begin in 2025.

In August, Mehta determined that Google had abused its dominant position in the search market, designating the company an illegal monopoly. The judge highlighted concerns over Google’s control of key internet gateways and its financial agreements with third parties to maintain its status as the default search engine.

The DOJ’s latest filing stated that Google’s ownership of Android and Chrome, critical distribution channels for its search services, complicates efforts to introduce competition in the search market. The department proposed other remedies, including requiring Google to spin off its Android mobile operating system. If the company does not take steps to prevent Android from disadvantaging competitors, prosecutors argued, it should be forced to sell the platform.

The filing also recommended restrictions on Google’s third-party agreements, such as its arrangement with Apple to serve as the default search engine on Apple devices. Additionally, prosecutors proposed that Google be required to license its search and ad-click data to rival companies.

Should Chrome be divested, the DOJ suggested barring the company from re-entering the browser market for five years. Furthermore, the filing recommended prohibiting the company from acquiring or owning competing ad-text search services, query-based AI products, or advertising technology after the sale. It also proposed measures allowing publishers to opt out of having their data used by the company to train AI models.

If these remedies are implemented, Google could face a significant competitive disadvantage in the AI sector against rivals like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Anthropic.

The DOJ’s filing reflects earlier reports indicating that prosecutors were exploring the possibility of spinning off Chrome, which currently holds approximately 61% of the U.S. browser market, according to a web analytics firm.