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May be forced to sell

Google may lose both Chrome and Android

The US Department of Justice demands that Google sells Chrome, and even the Android operating system may be at risk.

Ove Kaufeldt
Published

The US Department of Justice has now determined that Google must sell the Chrome browser, citing that the company is deemed to have maintained an illegal search monopoly. This is according to the publication The Verge. In practice, this could mean that users in the future will have the opportunity to use Chrome with a different owner and without the close integration with Google's other services. However, there are a number of questions about what a sale would practically include since most of the source code for Chrome is open source, used by several major browsers including Edge, Opera, and Brave. 

The debacle began last autumn, but has now come a step closer to needing to be implemented. 

The Department of Justice also recommends that Google change its behaviour regarding Android. If the company does not make significant changes to its business practices, they may also face having to sell the world's largest operating system. Google has previously put forward alternative proposals, including bans on certain agreements and the possibility for Android manufacturers to include the Play Store without pre-installed other Google apps. 

At the same time, the department is backing down on some points compared to how it sounded last autumn. For example, they now support allowing Google to pay Apple for services not related to search, and they also do not require Google to divest its AI investments. Instead, they require the company to notify federal and state officials before proceeding with AI investments. 

A final decision will be announced in April. 

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