DOJ Keeps Recommendation to Take Chrome Away from Google

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and 38 U.S. states filed their final remedy recommendations in the US v. Google antitrust case on Friday, and it’s a mix of good and bad news for the monopolistic online giant. Mostly bad.

“We proved Google violated antitrust law in an epic federal trial,” Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said. “Now it’s time to solve the problem. Today’s proposed final remedies package holds Google accountable for its search monopoly and protects consumers by promoting competition.”

The proposed remedies include:

• Forcing Google to sell off its Chrome web browser and, if the company fails to comply with its legal requirements, to divest itself of Android as well.
• A ban on all search-related payments to distribution partners like Apple and Android device makers.
• Google should be denied “exclusive control of ill-gotten gains” by requiring it to share targeted portions of its search index, user, and advertising data with its competitors for a “limited period of time.”
• A requirement that the government review any “future financial interests” in competitors with online search or generative AI products and services “for a limited time” to ensure the company doesn’t “use the same monopolistic playbook with new technologies.”

The U.S. DOJ and states that won US v. Google had originally recommended that Google be prevented from acquiring or investing in AI, browser, search, or advertising companies. But that third remedy proposal above indicates a shift: They now believe only that any Google shifts in the future of that nature should be reviewed by the government first. That makes sense: An outright band would make Google’s core businesses less competitive.

“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,” a DOJ statement reads. “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 had petitioned the DOJ in recent weeks to see whether it would drop the Chrome and Android divestment remedy proposals. But that effort clearly failed.

“DOJ’s sweeping proposals continue to go miles beyond the Court’s decision, and would harm America’s consumers, economy and national security,” a Google statement claims.

Google also issues a final version of its remedy recommendations to Judge Amit Mehta Friday, but it is unchanged from its initial December recommendations. Google would like to continue paying partners that make its search engine the default, and it agreed to give Chrome users and Android device makers more “flexibility” when it comes to the default search engine. It does not believe that it should be forced to divest itself of Chrome or Android.