Google has strongly stated that forcing the company to sell Chrome, the world’s most popular web browser, would negatively impact both consumers and businesses.
According to the BBC, Judge Amit Mehta ruled in August that Google operates as a monopoly in online search and was considering what corrective measures or sanctions to impose.
On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that the US Department of Justice would recommend the sale of Chrome to a judge. In court filings from October, the Department had indicated it was considering pursuing the breakup of Google.
Regarding this possibility, Google argued that breaking up parts of its business, such as Chrome or Android, would “destroy them.”
The Department of Justice has yet to comment on the report.
“DOJ continues to push a radical agenda that goes far beyond the legal issues of the case,” stated Google executive Lee-Anne Mulholland. She added that the government had “overstepped” in the case, which she believes will bring harmful consequences for consumers, developers, and American technological innovation “at a time when it is needed the most.”
Reports indicate that Google may also be required to establish new measures concerning the use of artificial intelligence, the Android operating system, and data usage.
As of October, Chrome’s market share was 64.61%, while Google commanded around 90% of the search engine market. It also remains the default search engine for Chrome and many smartphone browsers.
