Civil servants responsible for competition and monopoly issues have decided to ask a judge to issue a ruling that Chrome must be sold.
The judge concluded in August that Google, in violation of the law, has monopolized the market for online searches.
In April next year, a hearing will be held where Google will have the opportunity to present measures to rectify the issues identified by the judge in the ruling. A final verdict is expected to be announced in August 2025, according to plan.
Google made it clear, when the ruling against them was announced in August this year, that they intended to appeal.
Major Intervention
If Judge Amit Mehta grants the Department of Justice's expected request, it could be the most far-reaching intervention in the tech sector since American authorities attempted to break up Microsoft's dominance after the millennium shift. The Department of Justice's competition watchdog also wants to see measures taken regarding AI and Google's mobile operating system, Android.
They are expected to request that Google decouples Android from the company's other products, such as search tools and the app store Play, which are currently sold as a package.
And as for advertisers, they should be offered more information and greater opportunities to control where their ads are displayed.
The case was initiated during Donald Trump's first four years in office and continued when Joe Biden was elected in 2020.
Google Criticizes
Google is criticizing the Department of Justice's actions.
"They are holding on to a radical agenda that goes far beyond the purely legal issues in the case," comments Lee-Ann Mulholland, who is responsible for regulatory compliance at Google.
She claims that the department is overstepping in a way that would harm consumers, developers, and the United States' ability to be at the forefront of technological development, when leadership is needed most.
