DOJ demands Google divest Chrome to restore online search competition

November 21, 2024
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DOJ demands Google divest Chrome to restore online search competition

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Alphabet's Google must sell its Chrome browser, share data and search results with competitors, and take various other measures to end its monopoly on internet search, U.S. prosecutors have argued.

These changes would subject Google to high regulation for 10 years, overseen by the same Washington federal court that ruled the company maintained an illegal monopoly in online search and related advertising.

Google controls about 90% of the online search market.

READ MORE: Google reacts angrily to DOJ proposal to sell Chrome

"Google's unlawful behavior has deprived rivals not only of critical distribution channels but also distribution partners who could otherwise enable entry into these markets by competitors in new and innovative ways," the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a court filing.

The court papers filed on Wednesday night expand on an earlier outline of how the U.S. wants to end Google's monopoly. Google called the proposals radical at the time, arguing they would harm U.S. consumers and businesses and undermine American competitiveness in AI. The company has said it will appeal.

The DOJ's demands are extensive, including barring Google from re-entering the browser market for five years and insisting Google sell its Android mobile operating system if other remedies fail to restore competition.

The DOJ has also requested a prohibition on Google buying or investing in any search rivals, query-based artificial intelligence products, or advertising technology.

The DOJ and a coalition of states want U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta to end exclusive agreements in which Google pays billions of dollars annually to Apple and other device vendors to make its search engine the default on their tablets and smartphones.

Google will have a chance to present its own proposals in December. Mehta has scheduled a trial on the proposals for April, though President-elect Donald Trump and the DOJ's next antitrust head could step in and change course in the case.

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