DOJ Plans to Force Google to Sell Chrome Browser

Investing.com– The U.S. Department of Justice intends to ask a judge to compel Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) to divest its Chrome browser as part of an antitrust investigation, according to Bloomberg.

The department will request Judge Amit Mehta of the District of Columbia, who previously ruled that Google held an illegal monopoly in the search engine sector, to enforce this ruling.

DOJ officials also aim to impose data licensing obligations on Alphabet, addressing its strategies for artificial intelligence and the Android operating system.

Chrome is a focal point for antitrust officials because it frequently serves as a gateway to Google’s search engine. Currently, Chrome dominates the market with a 66.65% share as of October 2024, per web traffic analysis from Statcounter.

After the Bloomberg report, Alphabet's shares initially fell by 1.8% in aftermarket trading but later reduced their losses to a 0.5% decline by 18:28 ET (23:28 GMT).