Report: US DOJ seeks sweeping reforms for Google, including Chrome spin-off

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The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is reportedly escalating its antitrust case against Google, urging the presiding judge to order the tech giant to divest its Chrome browser, according to a report from Bloomberg. This drastic measure stems from the DOJ's assertion that Google has illegally monopolized the search market.

According to Bloomberg, the DOJ argues that Google leverages Chrome to cross-promote its products, thereby limiting competition and stifling innovation. To address these concerns, Bloomberg says the government's lawyers have outlined a series of proposed remedies, including:

• Separating Android from Search and Google Play: This would decouple Google's mobile operating system from its core search and app store services. But it won't force Google to sell Android.
• Increased transparency for advertisers: Google would be required to provide advertisers with more granular control over their ad placements and to share more detailed information about its advertising algorithms.
• Curbing AI data access: The DOJ supposedly seeks to limit Google's ability to use website content to train its artificial intelligence models without explicit permission from content owners.
• Banning exclusive contracts: The government aims to prohibit Google from entering into exclusive agreements that hinder competition, which it claims are central to the antitrust case.

Google's Regulatory Affairs Vice President, Lee-Anne Mulholland, has denounced the DOJ's proposals as "radical" and outside the scope of the current legal proceedings.

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