US Dept. of Justice: Google Must Sell Chrome

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Facts

  • The US Justice Department (DOJ) in a court filing Wednesday argued that Google, which controls approximately 90% of the online search market, should be forced to sell its Chrome browser and share data with competitors.[1]
  • The DOJ also asked US District Judge Amit Mehta to end Google's payment agreements with device makers, which makes Google Search the default search engine on these devices.[1][2]
  • The judge ruled in a memorandum in August that Google had established an illegal monopoly over internet searches and enjoyed "dominance" that "has gone unchallenged for well over a decade."[3]
  • Court hearings on this matter are expected to begin in April with a final decision possible by Labor Day. But the future of the case may change based on the policies of Pres.-elect Donald Trump, who will replace Pres. Joe Biden in January.[4]
  • This potential Chrome divestiture comes after a recent ruling requiring Google to open its Android platform to rival third-party app stores in a separate antitrust case.[5]

Sources: [1]Al Jazeera, [2]FOX News, [3]USA Today, [4]CBS and [5]Business Insider.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Silicon (UK). Forcing a sale of Chrome represents a radical agenda that exceeds the scope of the legal issues in question. The proposed breakup would harm consumers, developers, and American technological leadership at a critical time. Chrome and Android are offered freely on an open-source basis, and splitting them from Google would effectively break these services.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Verge. The forced sale of Chrome is necessary to break Google's monopolistic control over internet search access points and restore market competition. The company's practice of making massive payments to maintain default search status has blocked competitors from gaining market share. This aggressive remedy is essential to prevent Google from dominating emerging technologies like AI.