The US Ministry of Justice still asks Google to sell its Chrome web browser, according to a Friday judicial.
The DoJ first proposed that Google Vende Chrome last year, under the president of the time, Joe Biden, but it seems to stick to this plan under the second Trump administration. However, the ministry no longer calls on the company to sell all its investments in artificial intelligence, including the billions that Google has paid into Anthropic.
“Google’s illegal conduct has created an economic goliath, the one that wreaked havoc on the
Marketplace to ensure that – no matter what happens – Google still wins, “said the DOJ in a file signed by Omeed ASSEFI, its current prosecutor for Antitrust. (Trump’s nominated Directing the antitrust for the doj is still waiting for confirmation.)
For this reason, the Doj said that he had not changed the “basic components” of his initial proposal, including the disinvestment of Chrome and a prohibition of payments related to research to distribution partners.
On the AI, the DoJ said that it no longer calls “the compulsory disinvestment of google AI investments” and will be rather satisfied with “prior notification for future investments”. He also said that instead of giving Google the possibility of giving up Android now, he will leave a future decision in the court, depending on whether the market becomes more competitive.
This proposal follows antitrust prosecution filed by the DoJ and 38 attorneys general, the judge Amit P. Mehta, to rule on the fact that Google acted illegally to maintain a monopoly in online research. Google said it would appeal from Mehta’s decision, but in the meantime, offered an alternative proposal which, according to her, would respond to her concerns by offering partners more flexibility.
A Google spokesperson said to Reuters That the “” “” “scanning proposals continue to travel miles beyond the court’s decision and would harm American consumers, the economy and national security. “”
Mehta should hear the arguments of Google and Doj in April.
