The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is still advocating for Google to divest its web browser, Chrome, as indicated in a court filing on Friday. This call for divestiture was initially made last year during the administration of then-President Joe Biden, and it appears the DOJ is maintaining this stance even under the current Trump administration. However, the DOJ has shifted its position regarding Google’s investments in artificial intelligence, no longer insisting that the company divest its significant stake in Anthropic.
In the filing, signed by Omeed Assefi, the acting attorney general for antitrust, the DOJ stated, “Google’s illegal actions have produced an economic giant that disrupts the marketplace to ensure it always comes out on top, regardless of the circumstances.” Consequently, the DOJ has kept the “core components” of its original proposal intact, which includes the divestment of Chrome and a ban on search-related payments to distribution partners. Regarding artificial intelligence, the DOJ has moved away from demanding the “mandatory divestiture of Google’s AI investments” and is now seeking only “prior notification for future investments.” Additionally, instead of allowing Google the option to divest Android immediately, the decision will be left to the court, contingent on whether market competition improves.
This proposal follows antitrust lawsuits brought by the DOJ alongside 38 state attorneys general, which led Judge Amit P. Mehta to determine that Google has acted illegally to uphold a monopoly in online search. Google plans to appeal Mehta’s ruling but has also put forth an alternative proposal that it claims would address the judge’s concerns by providing partners with greater flexibility.
A spokesperson for Google told Reuters that the DOJ’s “overreaching proposals extend far beyond the Court’s ruling and would negatively impact American consumers, the economy, and national security.”
