The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has proposed that Google sell its Chrome web browser and face restrictions on its Android operating system, aiming to curb the tech giant’s dominance in the online search market. Google has strongly opposed the proposals, calling them a “radical interventionist agenda” and warning that such actions could harm American consumers and the nation’s technology leadership.
Google’s Response: A Radical Overreach
In response to the DOJ’s 23-page filing, Google described the proposals as “wildly overbroad” and beyond the scope of the court’s decision. “Instead of focusing on remedies related to search distribution agreements with Apple, Mozilla, smartphone OEMs, and wireless carriers, the DOJ chose to push a radical interventionist agenda that would harm Americans and America’s global technology leadership,” Google stated.
The company emphasized that the DOJ’s approach could break products beyond Search, including Chrome and Android, which millions of users rely on daily. “These proposals would harm American consumers, developers, and small businesses, and jeopardize America’s global economic and technological leadership at precisely the moment it’s needed most,” Google argued.
Google plans to submit its own proposals next month and make a broader case against the DOJ’s demands next year.
DOJ’s Filing: Breaking Up Google’s Dominance
In its filing, the DOJ proposed that Google divest its Chrome web browser, which it described as a “critical search access point.” According to the DOJ, selling Chrome would “permanently stop Google’s control of this critical search access point and allow rival search engines the ability to access the browser that for many users is a gateway to the internet.”
While the filing stops short of explicitly demanding the sale of Android, it suggests that the operating system could face divestiture if Google continues anti-competitive practices.
Google’s Defense: Trusted by Millions
Google reiterated the court’s acknowledgment of its position as a trusted provider, stating, “Google offers the industry’s highest quality search engine, which has earned the trust of hundreds of millions of daily users.” The company argued that the DOJ’s proposals go far beyond what the court’s order contemplated and warned of unprecedented government overreach.
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The Road Ahead
Google remains at the early stages of the legal process and believes many of the DOJ’s demands are “clearly far afield” from what the court’s decision envisioned. The outcome of this antitrust battle could have significant implications for Google’s products and the broader tech industry.
