DOJ to ask judge to force Google to sell off Chrome after illegal monoploy ruling: report

The Justice Department will ask a judge to force Alphabet’s Google to sell off its Chrome browser, Bloomberg reported Monday, citing people familiar with the plans.

The DOJ will ask the judge, who ruled in August that Google illegally monopolized the search market, to require measures related to artificial intelligence and its Android smartphone operating system, the report said.

Google and the DOJ did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

The Justice Department plans to ask a judge to force Google to sell off its Chrome browser. CEO Sundar Pichai, above. EPA

The move would be one of the most aggressive attempts by the Biden administration to curb what it alleges are Big Tech monopolies.

Google maintains that its search engine has won users with its quality, adding that it faces robust competition from Amazon and other sites and that users can choose other search engines as their default.

The judge ruled in August that Google illegally monopolized the search market. Photothek via Getty Images

The government has the option to decide whether a Chrome sale is necessary at a later date if some of the other aspects of the remedy create a more competitive market, the Bloomberg report said.