Anti-Trust: The United States wants to force Google to sell Chrome

In mid-November 2024, Bloomberg revealed the demands that the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) is expected to present to Google as part of its conviction for abuse of dominant position. In August 2024, a U.S. federal judge ruled that the tech giant had illegally maintained its near-monopoly on online search (90% of the U.S. market). The ruling particularly highlighted the key role played by other Google products, especially Chrome and Android, in this dominance.

The DoJ is expected to propose particularly drastic measures, including forcing Google to sell its Chrome browser. Regarding Android, the justice department is unlikely to require its sale but will propose a decoupling of the mobile operating system from other Google products. In practice, the tech giant would no longer be able to pre-install any of its tools, including its search bar and the Play Store, on Android devices.

Additionally, the DoJ is expected to demand the revocation of commercial agreements that make Google the default search engine on Apple (Safari), Samsung (Samsung Internet), and Mozilla (Firefox) browsers. Federal justice also intends to compel Google to share certain data with its competitors, particularly its search index.

The DoJ will only present the final version of these measures in August 2025, following a hearing of Google by the judge handling the case in April 2025. The tech giant has announced its intention to appeal the August 2024 ruling. The re-election of Donald Trump as President of the United States could also change the situation, as the billionaire has expressed opposition to any dismantling of Google.