(San Francisco) The US government will ask a judge to force Google to sell its Chrome browser, according to Bloomberg. Such a sanction against the technology giant, found guilty of anti-competitive practices in the management of its famous search engine, would be historic.
Posted at 7:20 p.m.
The Justice Department also plans to demand measures regarding new generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools and its Android mobile operating system, according to anonymous sources familiar with the matter cited Monday by the news agency.
Google was found guilty last summer of illegal practices to establish and maintain its monopoly in online search by Amit Mehta, a federal judge in Washington.
The latter could decide on the sentence in August 2025, after receiving the official request from the authorities in November and hearing both parties during a special hearing in April.
The possibility of demanding a Google split marks a profound shift by U.S. competition authorities who have largely left the tech giants alone since their failure to break up Microsoft two decades ago.
Authorities want Google to divest itself of Chrome, the world’s most widely used internet browser, because it constitutes a major access point to the search engine, thus undermining the chances of potential competitors.
According to the StatCounter website, in September Google accounted for 90% of the global online search market and even 94% on smartphones.
Antitrust authorities are also expected to propose that Google unbundles Android from its other products, including the Google Play search engine and mobile app store, according to Bloomberg.
The government also wants to act on the research results formulated by generative AI, the “AI Overviews” which directly answer users’ questions, without having to click on links.
Many websites are complaining of a drop in traffic and Google’s rivals in online search believe that this new format gives them no chance of emerging.
The ten weeks of trial revealed the staggering sums paid by the Alphabet subsidiary to ensure the default installation of Google Search, particularly on smartphones manufactured by Apple and Samsung.
The prosecutions were launched during the administration of Donald Trump and continued under the presidency of Joe Biden.
If the judge accepts the authorities’ proposals, they could reshape the online search market and the growing generative AI industry.
But the changes, if they happen, will likely take years, with Google planning to appeal.
Asked by AFP on Monday, the Justice Department did not comment.
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