The US Department of Justice (DoJ) is reportedly planning to ask a judge to force Google to sell its Chrome browser, as part of efforts to dismantle the company's monopoly over the internet search market. According to Bloomberg, the DoJ will also seek new measures related to artificial intelligence and Google's Android smartphone operating system.
The move follows a court ruling in August that found Google had violated antitrust laws by spending billions to build an illegal monopoly. The DoJ filed court papers last month indicating it was considering 'structural remedies' to prevent Google from using some of its products to maintain its dominance.
Competition officials and several US states involved in the case are also recommending that federal judge Amit Mehta impose data licensing requirements. Google has said it will challenge any such proposals, calling them an 'overreach' that would harm consumers.
If accepted, the proposals could reshape the global online search market, where Google controls 90%, and affect its role in the fast-growing AI sector. The case, initially filed under the first Trump administration and continued under Biden, echoes the US government's attempt to break up Microsoft in the 1990s.
In the UK, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has dropped an investigation into Google's partnership with Anthropic, the maker of the Claude AI models. The CMA concluded that Google's $2bn investment did not give it material control over Anthropic, and the partnership did not meet the threshold for UK merger control.
