94Ha Viewpoint
The U.S. Department of Justice and some states have proposed a series of changes to Alphabet Inc.’s Google’s business practices, including forcing the company to sell its Chrome browser business. The court previously ruled that the U.S. technology giant illegally monopolized the online search market.
Bloomberg reported that the antitrust enforcement department said in a court document filed on Wednesday (November 20) that Google must divest its Chrome browser business on the grounds that the judge had previously ruled that the browser “reinforced Google’s dominance.” The Department of Justice and some states pointed out that they also tend to require the divestiture of the Android smartphone operating system, but given that Google and other companies may object, they proposed a series of restrictions on the business unit as an alternative to divestiture.
The Department of Justice pointed out in the document that the proposal to divest Chrome is to permanently end Google’s control of this key search entrance and allow rival search engines to access this browser that is the Internet portal for many users.
The document also provides a detailed remedy plan for U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, who will decide how to restore market competition lost due to Google’s monopoly after a hearing next spring. At that time, the judge will order Google to make satisfactory changes to its business.
