Google Forced to Sell Chrome ? That's What the US Government Is Demanding

Found guilty of anti-competitive practices in the digital world by the American justice system ;American, Google is preparing to suffer historic sanctions. Chrome's future is under threat.

This is a real blow to the American firm. Google, considered too powerful in the digital world, could soon regret its hegemony. Accused last summer of having used illegal practices to ensure its monopoly in online search, the Mountain View firm is facing historic sanctions.

The American government intends to ask a judge to force Google to abandon its Chrome browser, according to the latest information from Bloomberg. Too dominant in the search engine market, Chrome would be unfair to its competitors and would risk being dismantled by Google soon.

Chrome, which represents 90% of the global online search market (even 94% on smartphones), is the source of complaints from many websites. Some of them believe that the giant prevents any possibility of existing on the web, since it monopolizes the entire traffic.

A case that reveals fraudulent practices

In reality, the case has been looming since last summer, when Google was subjected to a 10-week trial for its illicit practices. The company was found guilty by Amit Mehta, a federal judge in Washington, who helped &éclairer la competition unfairly exercised by Chrome in the world of the web.

The trial exposed in depth the anti-competitive agreements signed with Apple, Samsung and Mozilla, which aimed to propel Chrome as the default search engine. It also revealed that Google was paying huge sums to mobile manufacturers in an effort to gain hegemony, to become the browser for almost all smartphones.

Other strategies to dismantle the firm

Demanding the separation of Chrome and Google appears to be a major break in the American system, which until now has left the web giants alone. In addition to forcing Google to abandon Chrome, the authorities could also force the company to dissociate itself from other organs. Google Play, the application store automatically downloaded on Android phones. 

In addition to the resale of Chrome, Google could also face forced measures against its use of artificial intelligence and its Android mobile operating system. 

What right of reply does Google have ?

Faced with these recent decisions, Google has not failed to react. Google's vice president of regulatory affairs, Lee-Anne Mulholland, accused the Justice Department of continuing to advance a radical agenda that goes far beyond the legal issues in this case […]. For the government to put its thumb on the scale in this way would harm consumers, developers, and America's technology leadership at a time when he needs it the most”, according to her.

In order to contest its sentence and avoid bankruptcy, Google plans to appeal. The measures taken against Google's unfair hegemony, which should be announced in the summer of 2025, will probably take several years to be implemented.