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DOJ antitrust officials reportedly pushing for Google to sell off Chrome browser

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The Department of Justice is weighing several remedies to resolve an antitrust case against Google over its search monopoly — including possibly forcing Alphabet to sell its Chrome browser. google
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Officials from the DOJ are reportedly planning to ask a judge to force Google to sell its Chrome browser.

The remedy would follow a ruling in August in which a federal judge found the tech giant violated the law and held a monopoly on online search.

The DOJ's antitrust division is also expected to ask Judge Amit Mehta to impose data licensing requirements along with other remedies tied to AI and its Android smartphone operating system, Bloomberg reported Monday, citing people familiar with the plans.

Prosecutors have proposed and the Department of Justice is considering several potential remedies to resolve the violation, including a potential breakup of some of Google's basic businesses — like its search engine, Business Insider previously reported.

"The DOJ continues to push a radical agenda that goes far beyond the legal issues in this case," Lee-Anne Mulholland, vice president of Google's regulatory affairs, told Business Insider in a statement. "The government putting its thumb on the scale in these ways would harm consumers, developers and American technological leadership at precisely the moment it is most needed."

Breaking off Chrome would be a substantial blow to the tech titan's Google Services branch, which makes most of its money through advertising. Business Insider previously reported Google's total search revenue was $279.8 billion in 2022.

Google is also dealing with the fallout from a second antitrust case related to its Play Store after a judge last month ruled that Google must open up Android to rival third-party app stores as part of a landmark antitrust case against the tech giant.

The rulings are part of what management and law experts previously told Business Insider signals a shift in antitrust law against large tech companies.

"In recent years, the government has been trying to countervail the high pricing power of dominant tech companies," Peter Cohan, an associate professor of management practice at Babson College, previously told Business Insider. "This fits into that shift."

Representatives for the Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

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Katherine (Tangalakis-Lippert) Ortiz
Katherine (Tangalakis-Lippert) Ortiz was a senior reporter on Business Insider's West Coast team. For four and a half years, her coverage spanned topics and industries, including chasing breaking news — such as the assassination attempts against President Donald Trump, and major legal actions against companies like Google, Anthropic, and OpenAI — as well as producing scoops about the Supreme Court, Starbucks, and many more. Katherine has worked on award-nominated projects and has appeared on Good Morning America, NBC, CNN, and other outlets to discuss her reporting.Prior to joining Business Insider, she covered retail, hospitality, and nonprofits at the San Fernando Valley Business Journal and received a master's degree in investigative reporting from the University of Southern California.Reach outDo you have feedback or a story tip? Contact Katherine on Signal at byktl.50, or follow her on Twitter and Instagram @scrawlgirl.Some of the highlights from her time at Business Insider include: Starbucks set up a new office. It's a 5-minute drive from the CEO's California home.Inside Starbucks' crackdown on cup notesEndless Shrimp was Red Lobster's rock bottom. Now it's clawing back.Clarence Thomas raised him 'as a son.' Now he's facing 25-plus years on weapons and drug charges.Call her Ivanka Kushner'Maybe I'll just resign:' Federal workers react to DOGE productivity emailSpaceX launches cause late-night booms that rattle windows, set off car alarms, and may damage property. Locals are pushing back.The US-China tech race is moving from chips to the raw materials they're made of