If U.S. regulators have their way, Google Chrome could become just Chrome.
Catch-up: In August, a judge ruled in favour of a U.S. Department of Justice suit accusing Google of monopolistic practices in the online search and ad space — specifically calling out lucrative deals that ensured Search was the default search engine on rival devices.
What happened: This ruling paved the way for the DOJ to submit a filing full of potential solutions to end Google’s monopoly. Most notably, the DOJ is considering asking the judge to force Google to sell off products like Chrome, Android, and Play to prevent unfair advantages.
- Other proposals include banning Google from inking deals to have its search engine preset on devices and forcing Google to make users aware of other search engines.
- Google quickly fired back with a post, claiming the proposals would harm consumers and are “well beyond” the scope of the original case, which is about search contracts.
Why it matters: If a forced breakup goes through (and that’s a massive if) it would cause a tectonic shift in the entire tech ecosystem. Not just by opening up the search market, but by setting a new precedent for aggressive action the DOJ could take against other tech giants.—QH