Google May Have to Sell Off Chrome

The Department of Justice says Google must sell off Chrome following a court ruling on anti-competitive behavior. But it will be months before the court decides whether to force the sell off.

Unsurprisingly, Google has expressed outrage with the suggestion, calling it a "staggering proposal."

Back in August, a court ruled that Google had broken competition law in the way it maintained its market share for online searches. This included the ways it promotes its search engine through its own tech services, in addition to paying to be the default search tool on other devices including Apple products.

Although the ruling is settled, the court will hold further hearings next April to decide on the remedy, including potential changes to how Google does business. The Department of Justice (DOJ), which brought the case alongside several states, has now published its proposals for changes.

Android Could Be Sold As Well

The most dramatic is that Google would have to sell off the Chrome browser and then avoid producing another browser for five years. How readily it would find a buyer is open to question, with one estimate putting Chrome's value at $20 billion.

The DOJ also suggests Google be banned from buying or investing in any other search engine provider and that it be banned from paying other companies to make Google Search the default.

Under the proposals, a five-person court appointed committee would enforce compliance. There's also be a review to see if the measures had restored competition. If not, Google could have to sell off Android as well. (Source: reuters.com)

Understandably, the DOJ isn't publicly saying whether it genuinely believes all the proposed measured are necessary or if this is effectively an opening negotiating position.

Google Raging

Google has condemned the proposals, calling them "wildly overbroad" and "a radical interventionist agenda that would harm Americans and America's global technology leadership." They suggest it would not only undermine Chrome but could hurt rival browsers such as Firefox because owner Mozilla's "businesses depend on charging Google for Search placement."

There's no guarantee any of the proposals will come to reality. Google will make its own proposals next month before the court hears arguments in April, 2025. It isn't expected to make a final decision until August, 2025.

One potential wildcard is the upcoming change of government, with the possibility of Donald Trump changing the regulatory approach and/or senior officials in the DOJ. In theory. this could mean the department revising its proposals.

However, analysts have noted the original legal action dates back to late 2020 during Trump's first term as President. They also point out that the states which jointly brought the case might still argue for tough measures. (Source: bbc.co.uk)

What's Your Opinion?

Do you think the proposals are reasonable? Do you think the court will back them? Does it matter if one company uses its power to maintain market dominance in a field like search engines?