DOJ still wants Google to sell Chrome

In recent years,

has been especially busy defending itself in court against regulators. The company received an unfavorable ruling in the US in 2024 that called its search engine business a monopoly. Google and authorities have been analyzing potential remedies to resolve the situation. In a recent development, the DOJ reiterates its proposal to sell Google Chrome, among other things.

Following the ruling against Google, the DOJ suggested a preliminary list of remedies. One of the most extreme measures was the sale of the popular Google Chrome browser to a third party. The agency believes that this will help create a fairer competitive environment in the search engine segment.

DOJ reiterates that Google must sell Chrome in its revised remedies

Now, the DOJ has presented its revised proposal, which includes some tweaks. However, the DOJ document reiterates the need for Google to sell Chrome, so it seems to be a non-negotiable requirement for the agency. The DOJ considers Chrome to be an “important search access point,” so keeping it in the hands of Google, whose market position has been determined to be monopolistic, is an issue to be resolved.

The measure aims to provide “an opportunity for a new rival to operate a significant gateway to search the internet, free of Google’s monopoly control.” That said, there is no guarantee that an outside buyer will manage Chrome the way Google does. Currently, Google offers the open-source Chromium project for third parties to build on. A buyer could consider shutting down the Chromium code, affecting many other parties.

Android selling suggestion removed; Google may continue funding AI companies

There are other changes to the preliminary proposal presented in November. The DOJ is no longer suggesting the sale of Android as another potential remedy. However, the agency is looking to implement some changes in favor of a more competitive market. If this is not met, the requirement to sell Android could return in the future.

The new DOJ proposal makes a concession to Google regarding investments in AI companies. The Mountain View giant can continue to fund AI-related initiatives. The agency considered that prohibiting this “could cause unintended consequences in the evolving AI space.” Perhaps the current context, where the United States seeks to dominate the AI ​​industry, influenced the decision. That said, Google must provide notice when it intends to make a new AI-related investment.

Google will also present its revised proposal in the next few hours. The Mountain View giant suggested preliminary remedies in December. A new hearing on the case will take place in April. The final decision on what Google must do to resolve its monopoly situation will come before September 2025. Still, Google confirmed that it will appeal the monopoly ruling.