Could Google Be Forced to Sell Chrome? The DOJ Is Reportedly Pushing For It. A federal judge ruled in August that Google monopolized certain markets, including search.
By Sherin Shibu Edited by Melissa Malamut
Key Takeaways
- The U.S. Department of Justice will reportedly ask a federal judge to force Google to sell its Chrome business.
- Chrome is the most widely used browser in the U.S.
- The enforcement push follows the DOJ’s win over Google in August in an antitrust case.
Federal judge Amit Mehta ruled earlier this year that Google monopolized the search market. Now, according to a Bloomberg report released Monday, U.S. Department of Justice officials are planning to ask him to force Google to sell its Chrome browser.
The DOJ is targeting Chrome because it argues the product is the entry point through which many people use Google Search. Chrome is the most widely used browser in the U.S., with 61% of the market, per web traffic analytics firm StatCounter. Google Search has over 88% of the search engine market in the U.S., according to the same source.
Though selling off Chrome would be a major enforcement action, it isn't the most drastic one the DOJ reportedly considered. According to Bloomberg, the department looked into forcing Google to sell off its Android operating system inside 2.5 billion tablets, phones, and other devices, but ultimately decided against the harsher action.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai in front of the Android and Chrome logos. Photographer: 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 impose AI and Android operating system-specific requirements for Google.
Related: Here's Why Google Losing the Antitrust Case Matters, According to a Market Insights Expert
The enforcement push arrives after the DOJ won a historic antitrust case against Google in August.
After a 10-week trial, Mehta ruled that Google illegally monopolized the online search and search ads markets. He wrote in his 286-page opinion that "Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly" through actions like exclusive distribution agreements that make Google the default search engine on browsers like Apple's Safari.
Google said that it plans to appeal the decision.
