Justice Department reportedly pushing Google to spin off Chrome
TechCrunchNOV 19 2024
The Department of Justice is now considering asking the judge to force Google to sell its Chrome browser, which currently controls approximately 61% of the browser market in the United States.
Google made substantial annual payments, reaching $26.3 billion in 2021, to device manufacturers including Apple to maintain its search engine as the default option on smartphones and web browsers.
The DOJ's proposed remedies could include requirements related to artificial intelligence, Android operating system modifications, and restrictions on agreements that limit AI rivals' access to content.
Forcing the 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.