The Justice Department has asked Google to release its Chrome browser, following a ruling in August that the company had a monopoly on the search market.
Chrome, bro Google launched in 2008, providing the search giant with data that it then uses to target ads. The DOJ said in a filing Wednesday that forcing the company to get rid of Chrome would create a more level playing field for search competitors.
“To remedy this harm, (the Early Proposed Final Judgment) would require Google to abandon Chrome, which would end Google’s control over this critical search access point and allow competing search engines to gain access to the browser that for many users is the gateway to the internet,” the 23-page content read. .
In addition, the DOJ said that Google cannot enter into exclusive agreements with third parties like Apple and Samsung. The department also said that Google is prohibited from offering search service options in other products.
The DOJ also stated that the remedy must prevent Google from eliminating “competitive threats arising through acquisitions, minority investments, or partnerships.” The DOJ said the “proposed remedy is to be implemented within 10 years.” The filing also said that search companies must provide the technical committee with a monthly report that describes changes to the search text ad auction.
“The proposed remedy is designed to stop Google’s unlawful practices and open up the market to competitors and new entrants,” the filing said.
Search ads contributed $49.4 billion in revenue in parent company Alphabet’s third quarter, representing three-quarters of total ad sales in the period.
The DOJ’s request represents the agency’s most aggressive effort to crack down on tech companies since the antitrust case against it Microsoftwhich reached settlement in 2001.
In addition to the call for Google to get rid of Chrome, the DOJ said that forcing the search company to eliminate the Android mobile operating system would also help restore competition, “but the Plaintiff acknowledges that the divestment could attract significant objections from Google or other market participants.”
However, the DOJ suggested that other remedies should be sufficient to “accelerate Google’s ability to use the control of the Android ecosystem to choose its search services in general,” and if it “ultimately fails to meet the high standards for important relief in this critical market, the Court may require a return to” Android divestiture advice.
In August, a federal judge ruled that Google hold a monopoly on the search market. The decision came after the government in 2020 filed a landmark case, alleging that Google controls the public search market by creating strong barriers to entry and feedback that maintains its dominance. The court found that Google violated Section 2 of the Sherman Act, which prohibits monopolies.
Last month, the DOJ indicated that it was considering a breakup of Google’s business, including potentially destroying its Chrome, Play or Android divisions.
In addition, the DOJ recommends limiting or prohibiting default agreements and “other revenue sharing arrangements related to search and search-related products.” This would include Google’s search arrangements with Apple on the iPhone and Samsung on mobile devices, deals that pay the companies billions of dollars a year.
Google has said it will appeal the monopoly judgment, which will leave any final remedy decisions.
However, the most likely outcome, according to some legal experts, is that the court will ask Google to break certain exclusive agreements, such as the deal with Apple. While a breakup is an unlikely outcome, experts say, the court may ask Google to make it easier for users to access other search engines.
