Bloomberg reports that DOJ lawyers will try to break up Google’s search monopoly by targeting Chrome, Android, and AI Overviews.

SUMMARY
  • The DOJ reportedly wants Google ordered to sell off Chrome.
  • The request would follow August’s ruling that Google engaged in monopolistic practices.
  • Google’s AI efforts and Android could also play a role in the court’s orders.
Google’s been living with the threat of the government stepping in and seriously upending its way of doing business for decades now. This past summer, the company found itself facing probably the most tangible incarnation of that threat to date, as Judge Amit P. Mehta ruled that Google’s actions in its search and browser business amounted to monopoly behavior. Since then we have been waiting to learn what the fallout from this decision would be. This very week, a new report attempts to offer some insight into what’s going to happen next — and it sounds like very bad news for Google and chrome users alike...

The Department of Justice is expected to request that the judge overseeing Google's antitrust trial compel the company to divest its Chrome browser, following the judge's determination that Google has maintained an unlawful search monopoly, according to Bloomberg.

Chrome is the most widely utilized browser globally, and government attorneys contend that its role in promoting Google’s products is a key factor hindering the development of competition by restricting available channels and incentives.

Additionally, the government is likely to mandate that Google provide more transparency to advertisers, granting them increased control over the placement of their ads. They will also reportedly advocate for a prohibition on exclusive contracts that were central to the case against Google.

Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google's Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, remarked that the DOJ is "continuing to advance a radical agenda that extends well beyond the legal matters at hand," as reported by Bloomberg.