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DOJ antitrust officials reportedly pushing for Google to sell off Chrome browser

TechCrunch

Justice Department reportedly pushing Google to spin off Chrome

FOX News

Justice Department to ask judge to force Google to sell Chrome browser: reports

Donald Trump

J.D. Vance

Gil Luria

Robin Nunn

Adam Kovacevich

Russ Mould

Brian Benway

Xiaofeng Wang

Rebecca Haw Allensworth

Bill Kovacic

Chris Versace

Dan Morgan

Daniel Ives

Lee-Anne Mulholland

Eric Posner

Danny Vena

"This court is not going to do that [breakup Google]."

"I think it's quite unlikely Google will be broken up."

"The doomsday scenario of a total [Google] break-up like AT&T in the 1980's does not seem likely."

The US' plan to break up Google is "a legal non-starter."

The proposed framework "goes well beyond the legal scope of the Court’s decision about Search distribution contracts."

"He [Trump] might want to punish them [the tech leaders] by forcing a [Google] breakup."

The DOJ "is intent in dismantling it [Google]."

Will Google Be Broken Up?

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.

Al Jazeera

The DOJ also asked a federal judge to end Google's payment agreements with device makers, which make Chrome the default search engine on these devices.

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."

USA Today

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.

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.

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The DOJ also asked a federal judge to end Google's payment agreements with devices makers, which make Chrome the default search engine on these devices.

FOX News #3450

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CBS #4611

Business Insider #2458

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 effectively blocked competitors from gaining market share. This aggressive remedy is essential to prevent Google from dominating emerging technologies like AI.

Verge

Verge #2870

DOJ says Google must sell Chrome to crack open its search monopoly

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.

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Silicon UK #

Google Labels DoJ’s Structural Remedies As ‘Extreme’

Budrul Chukrut/Contributor/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

DOJ: Google Must Sell Chrome

Antitrust actions & laws

Legislation

Computers & internet

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.

There's a 10% chance that the US break up Google before Jan. 1, 2026, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Metaculus2

Will the US break up Google before 1 January 2026?

US Dept. of Justice: Google Must Sell Chrome

US Dept. of Justice: Google Must Sell Chrome

DOJUS Dept. of Justice: Google Must Sell Chrome

The Spin

Metaculus Prediction

The Controversies

Allensworth

Posner

Morgan

Kovacevich

Mulholland

Kovacic

Luria

Articles on this story

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US Dept. of Justice: Google Must Sell Chrome

DOJUS Dept. of Justice: Google Must Sell Chrome

The Spin

Metaculus Prediction

The Controversies

Allensworth

Posner

Morgan

Kovacevich

Mulholland

Kovacic

Luria

Articles on this story

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