The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has urged Google to sell Chrome, the world’s most popular web browser, as part of a series of measures designed to curb the company’s monopoly in online search.
In a court filing on Wednesday evening, government lawyers also proposed that District Judge Amit Mehta require Google to stop forming agreements with companies such as Apple and Samsung, which set Google’s search engine as the default on many smartphones and browsers.
These proposals follow a landmark anti-competition ruling in August, where Judge Mehta found that Google had unlawfully stifled competition in online search.
The DOJ’s filing has the backing of several US states, which argue that such measures are crucial to breaking up a monopolised market.
“Restoring competition to the markets for general search and search text advertising as they exist today will require reactivating the competitive process that Google has long stifled,” the government lawyers stated.
In response, Google criticised the proposals, accusing the DOJ of pursuing a “radical interventionist agenda” that it claims would harm consumers and America’s technological leadership.
“The DOJ’s wildly overreaching proposal goes far beyond the court’s decision,” said Kent Walker, Google’s president of global affairs.
“It would dismantle a range of Google products — even beyond Search — that people rely on and find useful in their daily lives.”
Google is expected to submit its own proposed remedies by 20 December, with Judge Mehta anticipated to issue a ruling by the summer of 2025.
Currently, Google dominates around 90% of the global online search market, according to web traffic analytics platform Statcounter.
Government lawyers argue that Google’s control over both the Chrome browser and the Android operating system enables it to funnel users towards its search engine.
As part of its proposed remedies, the DOJ suggested Google be barred from re-entering the browser market for five years. It also recommended court oversight of Android to ensure Google does not use its ecosystem to “favour its general search services and search text ad monopolies.”
A Change in Administration
The DOJ’s case against Google was originally filed in the final months of Donald Trump’s first administration. As the President-elect prepares to return to the White House on 20 January, questions have arisen about whether the new administration will alter its approach to the case.
“It would be unusual for a second Trump administration to abandon a lawsuit it originally filed,” said Rebecca Allensworth, associate dean for research and an anti-trust professor at Vanderbilt Law School.
Even if Trump sought to halt the case, which Professor Allensworth considers unlikely, the states listed as plaintiffs could continue the proceedings independently.
“So, they can’t simply make it disappear,” she explained. “I believe the federal government will remain involved, but the extent of their push and the specific remedies they pursue may shift.”
The proposed remedies could play a pivotal role in revitalising competition in the online search market, according to Professor Laura Phillips-Sawyer of the University of Georgia School of Law.
The dominance of Google in search has allowed it to collect extensive user data, which has helped “refine Google’s search algorithm and bolster its text ad sales,” she said.
“But these contracts also prevent new entrants in the search market from gaining a foothold. Without access to distribution channels or a realistic chance to reach consumers, no one will invest in such innovation.”
Professor Phillips-Sawyer believes that if Judge Mehta accepts the government’s proposals, it could create opportunities for competitors — including new players — to flourish.
