The Justice Department will soon request a federal judge order Google to sell its Chrome web browser, according to Bloomberg, marking the latest devel

Justice Department Will Request Judge Order Google To Sell Chrome In Antitrust Case, Report Says

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2024-11-20 13:00:22

The Justice Department will soon request a federal judge order Google to sell its Chrome web browser, according to Bloomberg, marking the latest development in an antitrust case against Google after a judge ruled this summer the tech giant illegally maintained a search monopoly.

A final ruling in the antitrust case against Google is slated for August 2025. (Photo by Silas ... [+] Stein/picture alliance via Getty Images)

The department will recommend federal judge Amit Mehta, who issued the search monopoly ruling in August, force Google to sell off Chrome—one of Google’s most valuable assets and an integral part of its multi-billion dollar advertising business.

DOJ officials also plan to ask Mehta to require that Google license the results and data from Chrome and provide websites with more options to stop their content from being scraped by Google’s artificial intelligence products, according to Bloomberg, which cited unnamed people familiar with the matter.

If Google makes some of the changes and creates a more competitive market by doing so, the government can later decide if a Chrome sell-off will still be necessary, Bloomberg reported, noting antitrust officials walked back an option that would have forced the sale of Android—the operating system behind billions of phones, tablets, televisions and more.