US DOJ Demands Google to Sell Chrome, Give Up Android and Stay Out of Browser Market for 5 Years

The͏͏ battle͏͏ between͏͏ Google͏͏ and͏͏ the͏͏ United͏͏ States͏͏ Department͏͏ of͏͏ Justice͏͏ (DOJ)͏͏ has͏͏ reached͏͏ a͏͏ boiling͏͏ point,͏͏ with͏͏ US͏͏ prosecutors͏͏ pushing͏͏ for͏͏ drastic͏͏ measures͏͏ to͏͏ curb͏͏ Google’s͏͏ dominance͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ online͏͏ search͏͏ market.͏͏ The͏͏ DOJ͏͏ has͏͏ asked͏͏ Google͏͏ to͏͏ sell͏͏ its͏͏ Chrome͏͏ browser͏͏ and͏͏ stay͏͏ out͏͏ of͏͏ the͏͏ internet͏͏ browser͏͏ space͏͏ for͏͏ five͏͏ years.͏͏ This͏͏ demand,͏͏ part͏͏ of͏͏ a͏͏ broader͏͏ antitrust͏͏ effort,͏͏ could͏͏ reshape͏͏ the͏͏ tech͏͏ landscape͏͏ if͏͏ enforced.

Why the DOJ is Cracking Down on Google

According to the DOJ’s filing,͏͏ Google’s͏͏ alleged͏͏ monopolistic͏͏ practices͏͏ have͏͏ stifled͏͏ competition,͏͏ leaving͏͏ little͏͏ room͏͏ for͏͏ rivals͏͏ to͏͏ grow.͏͏ Prosecutors͏͏ accuse͏͏ the͏͏ company͏͏ of͏͏ using͏͏ exclusive͏͏ deals͏͏ with͏͏ firms͏͏ like͏͏ Apple͏͏ and͏͏ other͏͏ device͏͏ manufacturers͏͏ to͏͏ cement͏͏ its͏͏ search͏͏ engine’s͏͏ position͏͏ as͏͏ the͏͏ default͏͏ choice͏͏ for͏͏ billions͏͏ of͏͏ users.͏͏ The͏͏ DOJ͏͏ contends͏͏ this͏͏ behavior͏͏ has͏͏ hurt͏͏ smaller͏͏ companies͏͏ that͏͏ could͏͏ have͏͏ offered͏͏ innovative͏͏ alternatives.

The͏͏ proposal͏͏ doesn’t͏͏ stop͏͏ at͏͏ Chrome.͏͏ The͏͏ DOJ͏͏ has͏͏ also͏͏ floated͏͏ the͏͏ idea͏͏ of͏͏ Google͏͏ parting͏͏ with͏͏ Android,͏͏ its͏͏ flagship͏͏ mobile͏͏ operating͏͏ system,͏͏ if͏͏ other͏͏ remedies͏͏ fail͏͏ to͏͏ restore͏͏ fair͏͏ competition.͏͏ The͏͏ filing͏͏ even͏͏ suggests͏͏ barring͏͏ Google͏͏ from͏͏ investing͏͏ in͏͏ or͏͏ acquiring͏͏ competing͏͏ search͏͏ engines͏͏ or͏͏ AI-driven͏͏ technologies.͏͏ If͏͏ the͏͏ court͏͏ agrees,͏͏ this͏͏ could͏͏ mean͏͏ 10͏͏ years͏͏ of͏͏ federal͏͏ oversight͏͏ for͏͏ Google,͏͏ something͏͏ rarely͏͏ seen͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ tech͏͏ industry.

Google’s͏͏ Response:͏͏ A͏͏ “Staggering”͏͏ Proposal

Google,͏͏ unsurprisingly,͏͏ isn’t͏͏ taking͏͏ this͏͏ quietly.͏͏ The͏͏ company͏͏ has͏͏ called͏͏ the͏͏ DOJ’s͏͏ demands͏͏ “radical”͏͏ and͏͏ claims͏͏ they͏͏ could͏͏ harm͏͏ both͏͏ consumers͏͏ and͏͏ America’s͏͏ leadership͏͏ in͏͏ technology.͏͏ From͏͏ Google’s͏͏ perspective,͏͏ selling͏͏ Chrome͏͏ or͏͏ limiting͏͏ its͏͏ browser͏͏ activities͏͏ would͏͏ reduce͏͏ the͏͏ quality͏͏ of͏͏ its͏͏ services͏͏ and͏͏ compromise͏͏ user͏͏ security.͏͏ It͏͏ also͏͏ says͏͏ that͏͏ such͏͏ moves͏͏ could͏͏ disrupt͏͏ its͏͏ investments͏͏ in͏͏ AI,͏͏ an͏͏ area͏͏ it͏͏ considers͏͏ vital͏͏ for͏͏ innovation.

The͏͏ company͏͏ highlights͏͏ potential͏͏ inconveniences͏͏ for͏͏ users,͏͏ such͏͏ as͏͏ being͏͏ forced͏͏ to͏͏ navigate͏͏ cumbersome͏͏ approval͏͏ screens͏͏ when͏͏ using͏͏ its͏͏ products.͏͏ It͏͏ has͏͏ also͏͏ criticized͏͏ the͏͏ idea͏͏ of͏͏ a͏͏ government-appointed͏͏ “Technical͏͏ Committee”͏͏ overseeing͏͏ its͏͏ operations,͏͏ arguing͏͏ that͏͏ such͏͏ micromanagement͏͏ could͏͏ stifle͏͏ creativity͏͏ and͏͏ harm͏͏ small͏͏ developers͏͏ reliant͏͏ on͏͏ Google’s͏͏ ecosystem.

What’s͏͏ at͏͏ Stake?

For͏͏ users,͏͏ the͏͏ implications͏͏ could͏͏ be͏͏ significant.͏͏ If͏͏ Google͏͏ were͏͏ forced͏͏ to͏͏ sell͏͏ Chrome,͏͏ it͏͏ might͏͏ lead͏͏ to͏͏ a͏͏ fragmented͏͏ browsing͏͏ experience͏͏ as͏͏ competing͏͏ browsers͏͏ vie͏͏ for͏͏ market͏͏ share.͏͏ This͏͏ could͏͏ encourage͏͏ innovation,͏͏ but͏͏ also͏͏ lead͏͏ to͏͏ inconsistencies͏͏ and͏͏ possible͏͏ disruptions͏͏ in͏͏ services͏͏ users͏͏ take͏͏ for͏͏ granted.͏͏ On͏͏ the͏͏ other͏͏ hand,͏͏ the͏͏ sale͏͏ of͏͏ Android͏͏ could͏͏ change͏͏ how͏͏ mobile͏͏ devices͏͏ are͏͏ developed͏͏ and͏͏ marketed,͏͏ affecting͏͏ millions͏͏ of͏͏ users͏͏ worldwide.

For͏͏ competitors,͏͏ the͏͏ DOJ’s͏͏ actions͏͏ could͏͏ open͏͏ the͏͏ door͏͏ to͏͏ long-awaited͏͏ opportunities.͏͏ Smaller͏͏ search͏͏ engines,͏͏ browser͏͏ developers,͏͏ and͏͏ AI͏͏ firms͏͏ might͏͏ finally͏͏ find͏͏ breathing͏͏ room͏͏ in͏͏ a͏͏ space͏͏ long͏͏ dominated͏͏ by͏͏ Google.