A storm in the search engine field: The US Department of Justice is planning to order “Alphabet”, the parent company of Google, to sell the Chrome browser – according to a report today (Tuesday) in Bloomberg. Such a move would shake Google’s control of the search engine and internet advertising field, which has made it one of the largest technology companies in the world.
The lawsuit was filed under the Trump administration and continued under the administration of incumbent President Biden. The US Department of Justice plans to submit the official draft of the penalty request against Google this Wednesday. A final verdict will probably be given by August 2025.
According to the report, the ministry is expected to turn to a federal judge, who ruled last August that Google has established itself as an illegal monopoly in the browser and search engine market, and ask him to take measures against it related to both the artificial intelligence it develops and its operating system for Android devices. It is also planned to recommend that a federal judge impose data licensing requirements.
If the recommendations are accepted, they could change the Internet search market and the emerging artificial intelligence industry. Ownership of Chrome, the world’s most popular web browser, is vital to Google’s advertising business. The company can track the activity of users who are connected to a Google account, and use this information to target advertisements more effectively, which generates most of its revenue.
Lee Ann Mulholland vice president of regulatory affairs at Google, told Bloomberg that the Department of Justice “continues to push a radical agenda that does not touch its domains – in this case as well. Such government intervention will harm consumers, developers and America’s technological leadership at the exact moment when it is most needed.”