Why the Justice Department Wants Google to Sell Chrome (and How It Could Affect You)
Earlier in August, US courts ruled that Google was an illegal monopoly , but did not impose any fines. Now the Justice Department has outlined some pretty ambitious goals, the most challenging of which would require Google to sell Chrome.
All the drama stems from Google search and the company’s decision to pay billions to Apple and other internet browser developers to make Google the default search engine. If you were present during the antitrust case against Microsoft Internet Explorer in 2001, the situation is similar: both companies are accused of anti-competitive behavior and are threatened with breakup.
Microsoft’s breakup never materialized and the government instead decided to settle with the Windows maker, but at least for now, it appears the DOJ is going after Google with all its might.
In a 23-page document filed late Wednesday, the Justice Department recommended that courts require Google to sell the Chrome browser and possibly Android if the company fails to comply with restrictions that would prevent Google from favoring its own search tools in the mobile operating system. The move comes as a bit of a surprise because neither product directly addresses the core issue of Google paying other companies to prioritize Google search within their ecosystems.
Why does the government want Google to sell Chrome?
In defending its aggressive proposal, the Justice Department argues that breaking up Google would also have the desired effect, saying that selling Chrome would “permanently end Google’s control over this important search access point and allow rival search engines to gain access to a browser that for many users is gateway to the Internet.” In other words, if Chrome is no longer associated with Google, it will no longer have the incentive to use Google search as the default, perhaps giving other search engines a chance to get their foot in the door of what has become the default Internet browser for many.
At the same time, this alone won’t stop Google from simply continuing to pay browser makers (including potential new Chrome owners), so the DOJ is also asking the government to block the company from offering compensation (monetary or otherwise) to browsers. Manufacturers have made Google the default search engine in their browsers.
Likewise, the DOJ restrictions would also prevent Google from prioritizing its search tools on Gemini or other platforms to which it maintains access, and would also require Google to make data such as search results and ranking signals available to other companies at “marginal cost and on an ongoing basis” for at least ten years.
Finally, the company would have to allow websites to keep their data from being used in AI reviews without being penalized for search engine rankings.
What does Google think about all this?
In a blog post responding to the Justice Department’s demands, Google’s president of global affairs and general counsel Kent Walker called the proposal “wildly overkill.”
Walker accuses the Justice Department of sidestepping the issue to pursue “a radical interventionist agenda that will harm Americans and America’s global technological leadership.” Specifically, Google says the requirements will “break a number of Google products,” create security risks, multiple-choice pop-ups on screens, and policies that “intentionally make it more difficult for people to access Google search.” The company also warns that such oversight could “chill our investments in artificial intelligence” or force Google to disclose data to “unknown foreign and domestic companies,” including “Americans’ personal searches.” Google said the proposal would also affect companies such as non-profit Firefox maker Mozilla, which Walker said is “dependent on Google charging fees for search placement.”
Will Google sell Chrome?
Despite Walker’s concerns, any consequences from the Google trial are still far from reality. The Justice Department’s proposal is still in its early stages, with a revised version scheduled for March and trial to begin in April. Google says it will file its own proposals next month, and regardless of the court’s outcome, the appeal is still pending. As with Microsoft at the turn of the millennium, Google may still be able to avoid breaking up.
While the Justice Department’s proposal is tighter than expected, it’s also not an uncommon debate tactic to ask for more than you want, so expect to see finer details next spring.
What happens if Google sells Chrome?
Should you be concerned if the DOJ’s proposal is accepted and Google is forced to sell Chrome or change its products? It’s hard to say at this point, although the Justice Department’s demands do mention an oversight committee that will presumably help with the transition.
Despite Google’s dire predictions, the most immediate effect you, as a consumer, are likely to see is more choice, although perhaps at the cost of greater annoyance. Google products are less likely to naturally bleed into each other, with a few more pop-ups appearing when you set up your Pixel smartphone, for example. But on the other hand, you can also probably change the default settings without having to go into settings like you have to do now.
As for Chrome, it’s possible the sale will help counteract Google’s search dominance in the market, although the non-Google version of the browser could remove features like built-in support for Google Lens, making it less useful. Likewise, user data may be less secure in the hands of another company, although Google’s reputation here is not entirely impeccable .
What happens next?
Perhaps the biggest question in Google’s trial is whether it will be conducted under a new administration. While the Biden White House applauded the court’s decision to rule Google an illegal monopoly , President-elect Trump’s position on the issue is less clear. Although the Justice Department’s lawsuit against Google was filed in the final months of Trump’s first term, Trump has also suggested in the past that his administration might try to make Google “fairer” without “breaking it up.”
For now, the best way Chrome and Android users can protect their data is to keep an eye on the trial that starts in April.