The US Division of Justice continues to be calling for Google to promote its net browser Chrome, based on a Friday court docket submitting.
The DOJ first proposed that Google ought to promote Chrome final yr, beneath then-President Joe Biden, nevertheless it appears to be sticking with that plan beneath the second Trump administration. The division is, nonetheless, not calling for the corporate to divest all its investments in synthetic intelligence, together with the billions Google has poured into Anthropic.
“Google’s unlawful conduct has created an financial goliath, one which wreaks havoc over the
market to make sure that — it doesn’t matter what happens — Google at all times wins,” the DOJ mentioned in a submitting signed by Omeed Assefi, its present appearing legal professional basic for antitrust. (Trump’s nominee to guide antitrust for the DOJ nonetheless awaits affirmation.)
For that cause, the DOJ mentioned it hasn’t modified the “core parts” of its preliminary proposal, together with the divestment of Chrome and a prohibition on search-related funds to distribution companions.
On AI, the DOJ mentioned it’s not calling for “the necessary divestiture of Google’s AI investments” and can as an alternative be happy with “prior notification for future investments.” It additionally mentioned that as an alternative of giving Google the choice to divest Android now, it’s going to depart a future resolution as much as the court docket, relying on whether or not the market turns into extra aggressive.
This proposal follows antitrust fits filed by the DOJ and 38 state attorneys basic, main Choose Amit P. Mehta to rule that Google acted illegally to keep up a monopoly in on-line search. Google has mentioned it’s going to enchantment Mehta’s resolution, however within the meantime supplied an alternate proposal that it mentioned would tackle his issues by offering companions with extra flexibility.
A Google spokesperson advised Reuters that the DOJ’s “”sweeping proposals proceed to go miles past the Courtroom’s resolution, and would hurt America’s customers, economic system and nationwide safety.”
Mehta is scheduled to listen to arguments from each Google and the DOJ in April.
