Forcing Google To Sell Chrome and Android Won't Make its Search Engine Less Popular
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is trying to force Google to sell Chrome after a federal judge ruled that the tech giant had monopolized the search market. Making Google divest itself from Chrome and Android won't significantly reduce Google's share of the market for general search services, it will just harm consumers.
The DOJ's antitrust crusade against the tech giant began in October 2020 when, invoking Section 2 of the Sherman Act, it argued that Google had abused its monopoly power to "require preinstallation and prominent placement of Google's apps," among other claims of exclusionary conduct. Judge Amit P. Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in favor of the DOJ in August, finding Google guilty of monopolizing the general search engine (GSE) market.
To end Google's monopoly over the GSE market, the DOJ recommended divestiture from Chrome, "which has 'fortified [Google's] dominance,'" and Android, "which would prevent Google from using Android to exclude rival search providers."
