US pushes Google to give up worlds most-used web browser in new legal battle
US govt wants Google to sell Chrome browser as part of anti-monopoly action. The move comes after recent court ruling that found Google had unfair control over online search market
The US Justice Department plans to make Google sell-off Chrome its main web-browser in a new anti-monopoly push (which might change tech industry forever). Around 15 years since its launch Chrome got about two-thirds of all web users - making it one of Googles most valuable tech-pieces
Judge Amit Mehta ruled last summer that the tech-giant kept unfair search market control; now govt officials want to break-up parts of the company. The expected legal docs this week show how far US regulators will go to limit big-techs power
The govt wants several big changes:
- Chrome browser complete sell-off
- Search data sharing with competitors
- Android system separation from search engine
- Google Play store independent operation
Lee-Anne Mulholland‚ Googles rules chief says this is too much: “The Justice Department pushes ideas that go beyond legal points‚ which could hurt US tech leadership“
Chrome brings in about 20% of all Google searches (as shown in court papers) and its a key part of their ad-money system. If sold‚ Google might need to pay lots of cash to keep its search engine as default - just like it does with Apples Safari browser
The case started during Donald Trumps time and kept going under Joe Biden‚ showing both sides dont like how big Google got. Some money-experts think selling Chrome wont really hurt Google; but it would need to spend billions yearly to keep users searching through it
