Ryan Haines / Android Authority
Tl; DR
- Google was fighting against an ongoing antitrust case after a judge last year that he had illegally maintained his monopoly in online research.
- In a new file, the Ministry of Justice has reaffirmed its request that Google must sell Chrome and stop companies to pay so that Google is looking for the default option.
- The final decision on how Google is to change will be made in April when the judge examines the proposals of the government and Google.
The US Ministry of Justice (DoJ) again pushes Google to sell its Chrome browser, a key element in its extent of technology. The demand, made for the first time in November 2024, is part of a wider effort to limit Google’s domination in online research and level the rules of the game for competitors.
The last DOJ deposit, as indicated by The New York TimesReiterates its position according to which Google must give in Chrome, a browser used by millions of people as the main gateway to the Internet. The department argues that the sale of chrome “would permanently stop Google’s control on this access point to critical search” and give rivals search engines a fair shot to reach users.
This is not the only change that the Doj is looking for. The agency also wishes to prohibit Google from paying companies like Apple, smartphones and Mozilla manufacturers to make its search engine the default option on their devices and browsers. The Doj says that this practice has enabled Google to maintain an illegal monopoly in the online search, according to Judge Amit P. Mehta of the American District Court for the Columbia district last year.
Interestingly, the DoJ has abandoned a previous proposal: forcing Google to sell its issues in AI startups. This occurs after Anthropic, an AI company supported by Google, told the government that it was based on Google’s funding to stay afloat.
Big Tech Under Fire
What makes this matter particularly intriguing is the bipartite nature of Google’s repression. The last DOJ deposit indicates that the Trump administration follows in the footsteps of the Biden administration, which initially proposed the changes in sweeping.
“Google’s illegal driving has created an economic goliath, which wreaked havoc to make sure that – whatever happens – Google still wins,” said the GM in its file. “The American people are therefore obliged to accept frantic requests and to change the ideological preferences of an economic Leviathan in exchange for a search engine that the public can enjoy.”
Google, for its part, does not back down. The technology giant has argued that DoJ’s requests are excessive and reflect an “interventionist program”. In its own proposal, Google suggested allowing it to continue to pay partners like Apple and Mozilla to offer Google Search as the default option, while allowing these partners to train agreements with rival search engines. For example, Apple could offer different default search engines for iPhones and iPads, and browser companies could modify default search engines every 12 months.
What is the next step
Justice Mehta will hear the arguments of both parties in April before deciding on the final remedies. If the Doj is making its way, it could mean a fundamental reshaping of the functioning of Google – and the way millions of people experience the Internet.
