U.S. Department of Justice Formally Requests Sale of Google’s Chrome Browser in Antitrust Case

The U.S. Department of Justice has officially asked a federal judge to force Google to sell its Chrome web browser, a move that could fundamentally reshape the digital advertising and search landscape. In a court filing submitted Wednesday night, antitrust officials argued that divestiture is the only way to restore competition to a market Google has dominated for over a decade. The proposal also includes provisions to stop Google from prioritizing its own services on the Android operating system and to end exclusive search agreements with third-party manufacturers. Google has pushed back against the recommendations, with company executives describing the government's approach as a 'wildly overbroad' intervention that would jeopardize user privacy and security. Legal analysts suggest the case represents the most significant attempt to break up a major technology firm since the Microsoft antitrust trial in the late 1990s. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta is expected to issue a final ruling on the proposed remedies by mid-2025.