Ryan Haines / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google has been battling an ongoing antitrust case after a judge ruled last year that it illegally maintained its monopoly in online search.
- In a new filing, the Justice Department reaffirmed its demand that Google must sell Chrome and stop paying companies to make Google Search the default option.
- The final decision on how Google must change will be made in April when the judge reviews proposals from both the government and Google.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is once again pushing for Google to sell its Chrome browser, a key part of its sprawling tech empire. The demand, first made in November 2024, is part of a broader effort to curb Google’s dominance in online search and level the playing field for competitors.
The DOJ’s latest filing, as reported by The New York Times, reiterates its stance that Google must divest Chrome, a browser used by millions as their primary gateway to the internet. The department argues that selling Chrome would “permanently stop Google’s control of this critical search access point” and give rival search engines a fair shot at reaching users.
This isn’t the only change the DOJ is seeking. The agency also wants to ban Google from paying companies like Apple, smartphone manufacturers, and Mozilla to make its search engine the default option on their devices and browsers. The DOJ claims this practice has allowed Google to maintain an illegal monopoly in online search, as ruled by Judge Amit P. Mehta of the US District Court for the District of Columbia last year.
Interestingly, the DOJ has dropped one earlier proposal: forcing Google to sell its stakes in AI startups. This comes after Anthropic, an AI company backed by Google, told the government it relies on Google’s funding to stay afloat.
Big Tech under fire
What makes this case particularly intriguing is the bipartisan nature of the crackdown on Google. The DOJ’s latest filing signals that the Trump administration is following in the footsteps of the Biden administration, which initially proposed the sweeping changes.
“Google’s illegal conduct has created an economic goliath, one that wreaks havoc over the marketplace to ensure that — no matter what occurs — Google always wins,” the DOJ said in its filing. “The American people thus are forced to accept the unbridled demands and shifting, ideological preferences of an economic leviathan in return for a search engine the public may enjoy.”
Google, for its part, isn’t backing down. The tech giant has argued that the DOJ’s demands are excessive and reflect an “interventionist agenda.” In its own proposal, Google suggested allowing it to continue paying partners like Apple and Mozilla to offer Google Search as the default option, while also letting those partners form agreements with rival search engines. For example, Apple could offer different default search engines for iPhones and iPads, and browser companies could change default search engines every 12 months.
What’s next
Judge Mehta will hear both sides’ arguments in April before deciding on the final remedies. If the DOJ gets its way, it could mean a fundamental reshaping of how Google operates — and how millions of people experience the internet.
