DOJ To Force Alphabet Inc.'s Google To Sell-Off Its Chrome Browser; Report

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is set to ask an appellate court to order Alphabet's Google (GOOGL.O) to sell up its Chrome internet browser, Bloomberg News reported on Monday, citing sources close to the actions.

The DOJ will also ask the judge, who ruled in August that Google illegally monopolized the search market, to require measures related to artificial intelligence and its Android smartphone operating system, the Bloomberg report said.

This is the most recent move in an antitrust action against Google, after a judge's ruling in August that the web giant improperly perpetuated a search dominance.

According to a statement from Google Regulatory Affairs vice president Lee-Anne Mulholland, the DOJ is encouraging a "radical agenda that goes far beyond the legal issues in this case," and would harm consumers, Bloomberg reported.

Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google's vice president of regulatory affairs, said the Justice Department "continues to push a radical agenda that goes far beyond the legal issues in this case." She added, "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," as per NDTV.com.

The judge, who declared in August that Google had unlawfully monopolised the search engine industry, will be asked by the department to impose restrictions on artificial intelligence and the Android operating system on smartphones. The department will suggest that Google be forced to sell out Chrome by federal judge Amit Mehta, who handed the August search antitrust verdict. According to Bloomberg, DOJ officials also intend to request that Mehta mandate that Google license the data and results from Chrome and provide websites with multiple options to prevent Google's AI technologies from scraping their content.

After a 10-week hearing last year, Mehta declared in August that Google violated antitrust regulations in the web search and search text ad industries. The court intends to provide a final decision by August 2025 and has scheduled a two-week hearing in April to discuss what adjustments Google has to implement to address the unlawful conduct. The authorities can subsequently determine if a Chrome sell-off will still be required if Google implements some of the improvements and makes the search engine market easier to compete in, according to Bloomberg.

The Google search lawsuit, which was brought in 2020, was the first time in decades that a large firm was accused of illegal monopoly by the U.S. government. According to Mehta, Google spent $26.3 billion in 2021 alone to maintain its 66.7% market dominance and make sure its search engine is the default on smartphones and browsers.