Google says the U.S. government’s idea to make it sell its Chrome web browser is “extreme” and not fair. The company is asking a judge to be careful, saying such a move could hurt new ideas and investments.
In a recent statement, Google responded to the government’s request by saying that they have a better solution. They argued that selling Chrome does not relate to the illegal actions the judge found — which were about unfair contracts with phone and internet companies.
The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) wants the judge to order Google to sell Chrome and make other changes to help competition in online searching. Google believes any punishment should be similar to the unfair practices they were accused of.
Google’s vice president, Lee-Anne Mulholland, explained that their proposal would allow other browsers, like Apple’s Safari, to work with any search engine they choose. This comes after the judge found Google was wrong for paying companies like Apple to be the default browser.
Google wants to let device makers preload many search engines and not require them to include Chrome, making it easier for users to pick.
This is Google’s first response since the judge decided they had unfairly dominated online search and advertising. Google plans to appeal but must wait until the case ends.
The judge has scheduled a meeting in April to decide what needs to change to improve competition, with a final decision expected by August 2025.
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