The U.S. Department of Justice is reportedly seeking a judge to potentially force Google to sell off Google Chrome, the world’s most popular internet browser.

In a move that could shake up $88 billion Google and its cloud business, Google Cloud, the U.S. Department of Justice is reportedly seeking to ask a judge to force Google to sell off the world’s most popular internet browser: Chrome.

“The DOJ continues to push a radical agenda that goes far beyond the legal issues in this case,” said Lee-Anne Mulholland, vice president of Google’s regulatory affairs, in a statement to CRN.

“The government putting its thumb on the scale in these ways would harm consumers, developers and American technological leadership at precisely the moment it is most needed,” Mulholland said.

Officials at the U.S. Department of Justice’s antitrust division will ask U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta—who has ruled against Google in the past regarding monopolization—to force Google to sell off its Chrome browser, according to a report by Bloomberg News.

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What The DOJ Is Seeking

The DOJ is reportedly seeking Google to separate Android from Search and Google Play, but without forcing Google to sell off Android.

Another requirement would force the Mountain View, Calif.-based tech giant to share more information with advertisers, Bloomberg said.

The DOJ reportedly will also ask Judge Mehta to impose data licensing requirements.

Another recommendation from the DOJ is that Google provide websites with more options to prevent their content from being used by Google’s artificial intelligence products, according to the Bloomberg report.

The government will also push for a ban on exclusive contracts with iPhone providers such as Apple to have Chrome as its default web browser, the report said.

Chrome Owns Over 65 Percent Share Of Global Browser Market

According to IT market research firm Statista, Google Chrome accounted for over 65 percent—or roughly two-thirds—of the global market for internet browsers as of August 2024.

Apple’s Safari browser ranks second for internet browsers with approximately 18 precent share. No other browsers controlled more than 5 percent share of the overall worldwide market, Statista said.

Google Cloud has several key technologies inside Chrome, including its zero-trust security offering Chrome Enterprise Premium, as well as Chrome Enterprise Core, which allows businesses to configure and manage Chrome browsers across their organization.

In addition, Google Cloud’s flagship AI offering, Gemini, is becoming more key to Google Chrome’s search engine, while many users access their Workspace applications like Gmail and Google Docs via Chrome.

Google Partner: ‘Government Might Be Overstepping’

One Google partner who generates hundreds of millions in Google sales annually said he believes “the government might be overstepping here.”

“Chrome is loved by our customers. It’s dominant for many reasons, like its security features, which we believe has little to do with monopolization and more to do with their technology,” said one top executive from the Google partner who did not wish to be identified.

The executive said if Google Chrome is sold off from parent company Google, it will fundamentally change the operational structure of both Google and Google Cloud.

“So Google Chrome is directly linked to its advertising business, and obviously that’s critical to the company. That money drives innovation and R&D throughout Google,” he said. “You take away Chrome from Google, it could start falling apart a bit. … It would definitely have a ripple effect for Google Cloud.”

According to the report by Bloomberg News, the DOJ will ask District Judge Mehta to force the breakup as it represents the access point through which people use its search engine.

The government has the option to decide whether a Chrome sale is necessary at a later date if some of the other aspects of the remedy create a more competitive market, Bloomberg said.

Representatives from the DOJ did not respond for comment by press time.