DOJ to force Google to sell Chrome

The Department of Justice (DOJ), on Wednesday, will ask a judge, who ruled in August that Google illegally maintained a web search monopoly, to force the company to sell its Chrome browser as part of a proposal to break its internet dominance, reports Bloomberg.

It would be one of the biggest antitrust crackdowns in the tech world since the government unsuccessfully tried to break up Microsoft two decades ago.

In addition to recommending a Chrome sale, DOJ officials want Google to license data from the web browser and offer more options for websites to opt out of having their content used by its artificial intelligence products, such as the AI summaries that appear on top of search results.

States involved in the case support these additional recommendations, such as giving advertisers more control and addressing AI-generated search summaries, which impact website traffic and ad revenue. 

Google VP Lee-Anne Mulholland criticized the DOJ’s proposals as damaging to consumers and innovation. The tech giant also plans to appeal the antitrust ruling.

Chrome currently commands a 66.7% share of the browser market, dwarfing competitors like Safari (18%), Edge (5%), and Firefox (3%), according to Statcounter.

The judge’s final ruling is expected by August 2025. It will detail the changes Google must make to remedy the illegal web search monopoly.