The DOJ reportedly wants Google to sell its Chrome browser


Federal Judge Amit Mehta ruled earlier this year Google monopolized the search market. Now, according to a Bloomberg report released on Monday, US Justice Department officials are planning to ask him to force Google to sell its Chrome browser.

The DOJ is targeting Chrome because it argues that the product is the entry point through which many people use Google Search. Chrome is the most used browser in the US, with 61% of the market, according to internet traffic analytics firm StatCounter. Google search is over 88% of the search engine market in the US, according to the same source.

Although the sale of Chrome would be a major enforcement action, it is not as drastic as the DOJ has reportedly considered. According to Bloomberg, the department was seeking to force Google to sell its Android operating system within 2.5 billion tablets, phones and other devicesbut ultimately decided against harsher action.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai in front of the Android and Chrome logos. Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The DOJ is also planning to ask Mehta to mandate data licensing requirements from Google on Wednesday, as well as set specific AI and Android operating system requirements for Google.

Related: Here's Why Google Loses Antitrust Case Matters, According to Market Insights Expert

The enforcement push comes after the DOJ won a landmark antitrust case against Google in August.

After a 10-week trial, Mehta ruled that Google illegally monopolized online search and search advertising markets. He wrote in his 286-page opinion that “Google is a monopolist and has acted as one to maintain its monopoly” through actions such as exclusive distribution agreements that make Google the default search engine in browsers such as Apple's Safari.

Google said that he plans to appeal the decision.

Related: US Department of Justice is Suing Apple in Groundbreaking iPhone Monopoly Lawsuit – Here's Why



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