Google told to sell Chrome to end search monopoly
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has called on Google to sell Chrome, the world’s leading web browser, as part of a series of measures aimed at curbing the tech giant’s dominance in online search.
The DOJ outlined the proposed remedies in a court filing on Wednesday, urging District Judge Amit Mehta to bar Google from signing agreements with companies such as Apple and Samsung that set its search engine as the default on many smartphones and web browsers.
These recommendations follow an August ruling in which Judge Mehta determined that Google had unlawfully suppressed competition in online search, marking a pivotal moment in the DOJ’s antitrust case against the company. A coalition of U.S. states joined the DOJ in the filing, arguing that the proposed changes would help dismantle Google’s monopolistic control over the search market.
“Reinstating competition in the markets for general search and search text advertising will require undoing the harm caused by Google’s long-standing anti-competitive practices,” the DOJ lawyers stated.
In response, Google criticized the DOJ’s proposals, accusing the government of overreach. Kent Walker, Google’s president of global affairs, said the recommendations “push a radical interventionist agenda” that would hurt both consumers and the U.S.’s position in global technology.
Walker further argued that the DOJ’s plan “extends far beyond the court’s decision” and risks undermining products that millions of people rely on daily.
Google is expected to present its own proposals by December 20th 2024.
I am one of the editors here at www.systemtek.co.uk I am a UK based technology professional, with an interest in computer security and telecoms.