The US government has formally proposed a partial breakup of Google, urging a federal judge to force a sale of the company’s Chrome web browser after a landmark ruling found that Google had violated US antitrust law with its search business. The request by the Justice Department and a group of states opens the door to the most significant antitrust penalties for a tech giant in a generation, targeting not only Google’s illegal monopoly in search but also its growing ambitions in artificial intelligence.
Google has promised to appeal, with President and Chief Legal Officer Kent Walker calling the government proposal “extreme” and saying it would undercut Americans’ security and privacy by making Google share its user data with others. The company intends to present its own proposal to the court in December, with a broader case expected next year.
The proposed penalties could revolutionize how millions of Americans search for information and potentially disrupt the tight integration among many of Google’s key products and services. The Justice Department has requested that the court ban agreements such as Google’s exclusive contracts with Apple, Samsung, and others, which made Google the default search engine on their devices.
In addition to the Chrome divestiture, the DOJ and state officials also called for Google Search to be separated from Google’s Android mobile operating system and the Google Play app store. The proposed remedies aim to resolve the biggest antitrust lawsuit to hit the tech industry since the US government prosecuted Microsoft in the 1990s.
The case has parallels with the historic Microsoft case, which required the company to share its programming interfaces with other software developers. A settlement in that case paved the way for browsers like Firefox and Chrome, allowing Google to promote its search engine to billions of internet users. The Justice Department is seeking significant penalties, with a multi-month fact-finding process expected to culminate in a hearing in April and a final decision expected later in 2025.
Google faces another antitrust battle in Alexandria, Virginia, where the DOJ is prosecuting the company over claims it has illegally monopolized the market for digital advertising technology. Closing arguments are expected to take place on Monday.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/20/business/google-sell-chrome-justice-department/index.html