Google Under Fire: DOJ Pushes for Chrome Sale to Restore Search Market Competition

U.S. prosecutors are urging Google to sell its Chrome browser to restore competition in the online search market. Other corrective actions discussed include sharing data with competitors. The proposals, which Google deems radical, could result in significant oversight of the company for ten years.

In a recent legal development, prosecutors in the United States have called for Google to divest its Chrome browser as part of a larger effort to reinstate competition within the online search industry, which is currently dominated by the tech giant.

The drastic measures proposed include compelling Google to share pivotal data and search results with its competitors. Prosecutors argue that such steps would place the company under the scrutiny of federal regulation for the next decade, following a court ruling that Google maintains an unlawful monopoly on search and related advertising markets.

Google, which commands approximately 90% of the online search market, particularly on smartphones, has criticized the proposals as harmful to U.S. consumers and businesses. The company plans to appeal, and both the U.S. Department of Justice and several states are pressing for an end to Google's lucrative agreements with Apple and other device makers to be the default search engine.

(With inputs from agencies.)