Photo credit:

Google has expressed strong opposition to a report suggesting it may be forced to sell Chrome, the world's most popular web browser. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is expected to propose the measure to a judge on Wednesday, according to Bloomberg.

Judge Amit Mehta previously ruled that Google operates a monopoly in online search and is now considering appropriate remedies or penalties. While the DOJ has not commented on the report, Google has made its position clear.

"The DOJ continues to push a radical agenda that goes far beyond the legal issues in this case," said Google executive Lee-Anne Mulholland in a statement. Google will reportedly also be required to implement new measures around its artificial intelligence, Android operating system, and data usage.

"The government putting its thumb on the scale in these ways would harm consumers, developers, and American technological leadership at precisely the moment it is most needed," Ms. Mulholland added.

Chrome, which holds a 64.61% share of the global browser market as of October according to Similarweb, is the most used browser worldwide. Google Search, the default engine in Chrome and many smartphone browsers including Safari on iPhones, dominates nearly 90% of the global search engine market, based on data from Statcounter.

In his August ruling, Judge Mehta referred to the default search engine as "extremely valuable real estate" for Google. "Even if a new entrant were positioned from a quality standpoint to bid for the default when an agreement expires, such a firm could compete only if it were prepared to pay partners upwards of billions of dollars in revenue share," he wrote.

The DOJ is expected to present its final proposed remedies to the court by Wednesday. In an October filing, the DOJ mentioned the possibility of seeking a break-up of Google. Potential remedies could include measures to prevent Google from leveraging products like Chrome, the Play Store, and Android to benefit Google Search and related products.

Google has previously denied operating a monopoly in online search. In response to the DOJ's October filing, Google warned that "splitting off" parts of its business, such as Chrome or Android, would "break them."

"Breaking them off would change their business models, raise the cost of devices, and undermine Android and Google Play in their robust competition with Apple’s iPhone and App Store," the company stated. Google also argued that it would become harder to keep Chrome secure.

Revenues from Google's search and advertising businesses rose by 10% to $65.9 billion, according to the company's latest quarterly results. Chief executive Sundar Pichai noted that the company's AI search tools are now being accessed by millions of users.

Investors have been closely monitoring Google's share price following reports of the DOJ's proposed remedies.

‍