WASHINGTON, DC, Nov 20, (V7N) – The US Department of Justice has taken a bold step in its ongoing antitrust crackdown against Google, requesting a judge to force the company to dismantle its business by selling its widely-used Chrome browser and making changes to its dominance in the mobile operating system market.

In a court filing late Wednesday, the DOJ called for the breakup of Google's monopoly, proposing that the tech giant be barred from making deals to be the default search engine on smartphones and that it should be prevented from exploiting its Android operating system.

The filing also included a demand that Google be forced to sell Android if the proposed remedies do not resolve the company's market dominance. This push for a breakup represents a significant shift by the US government, which has largely refrained from breaking up big tech companies since its failure to dismantle Microsoft two decades ago.

This marks a critical stage in a landmark antitrust case that has already seen Google found guilty of holding a monopoly on US online search services, controlling 90% of the market as of 2020, and an even higher share of 95% in mobile search.

Google's Response:
The company has described the request for a breakup as “radical” and “fantastical,” rejecting the idea of dismantling its business. Industry trade group Chamber of Progress also opposed the extreme measures, calling for more narrowly tailored remedies.

The case, which involves Google's exclusive agreements with major smartphone manufacturers, including Apple, for search engine deals, could drag on for years. Following the US District Court Judge Amit Mehta's ruling in August that labeled Google a monopoly, a hearing will take place in April where both sides will present their arguments.

Future Uncertainty:
As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office in January, his administration will likely overhaul the DOJ's antitrust division, potentially altering the direction of the case. Trump has been vocal about his concerns over Google's perceived bias but has also signaled opposition to the extreme measures of forcing a breakup.

The case is part of a broader antitrust movement under the Biden administration, which has opened investigations into multiple tech giants. However, with a change in leadership looming, it's unclear how the Trump administration will proceed on this high-stakes case.

END/BUS/RH/