Key Takeaways
- DOJ proposes that Google divest Chrome to end its search monopoly.
- DOJ wants major changes to Android to promote competition.
- Google could be forced to divest Android if mild remedies fail.
In a major setback for Google, the Department of Justice has proposed that the company sell Chrome to end its illegal search monopoly. The move will help create an equal level playing field for other search engines. The DOJ also wants Google to make major changes to Android, unless it is willing to divest the OS, to ensure healthy competition.
A federal court ruled in August this year that Google is a monopolist in the search engine market, relying on anticompetitive behavior to maintain its lead. It asked the DOJ to recommend possible solutions to end this monopoly.
In a 23-page filing, the Department of Justice’s proposed final judgment says Google must “divest Chrome, which will 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.”
It further proposes limiting Google’s search distribution contract with other device makers, like Samsung and Apple, as well as on its own devices, to promote fair competition.
After divesting Chrome, Google should be prohibited from entering the browser market for five years. It should also be barred from acquiring or owning any ad rival, search distributor, or ad technology. And if Google already owns a stake or has such investments, it must disclose them immediately and not use them to thwart competition.
The DOJ wants to plug any way for Google to circumvent its proposed remedial measures. For this, it wants to ensure that the company cannot provide “preferential access” to its search engine in its other products or services, including Android, Gemini, and YouTube.
Google should also make it easy for users to switch to a rival search engine and not make the process frustrating or confusing for users.
“Mild remedies” to control Android’s dominance
The DOJ’s filing states that divesting Android is a straightforward solution to end Google’s search dominance. However, it realizes that this “divestiture may draw significant objections from Google or other market participants.”
So, it is proposing “relatively mild remedies” as a first resort to “blunt Google’s ability to use its control of the Android ecosystem to favor its general search services and to prevent the company from discriminating “in favor of its own search and ads businesses.”
If these remedial measures don’t work, the Court could ask Google to divest Android.
The DOJ will continue its investigation and file the final revised proposal to the Court on March 7, 2025.
Google hits back at the DOJ
In a blog post on The Keyword, Google’s Global Affairs and Chief Legal Officer, Kent Walker, called the proposal a “radical interventionist agenda that would harm Americans and America’s global technology leadership.” He says the proposal is “wildly overbroad” and “goes miles beyond the Court’s decision.”
If implemented, it could compromise Americans’ security and privacy and hinder Google’s investment in artificial intelligence. Next month, Google will file its proposal suggesting remedial measures to end its search monopoly. It will also appeal the final ruling in April 2025 after the trial.
