US government wants Google to sell the Chrome browser

The U.S. government is gunning for Google and wants it to gasp sell off Chrome. Why? Because apparently, being too good at dominating online search is now a crime, at least from Google's point of view.

In a historic twist, the Department of Justice propose yesterday that Google be split up, citing its illegal monopoly in the search market. Chrome, which prosecutors argue is more than just a browser, it is the browser, practically welded to Google's search dominance.

Judge Amit Mehta will ultimately decide, but a final decision is not expected before 2025. In the meantime, expect a courtroom soap opera, with Google and Uncle Sam arguing over the future of the internet.

According to Bloomberg the DOJ thinks Chrome is noot just helping people brows, but also feeding Google's empire of data, ads, and even its AI playground, Gemini. By owning both the highway (Chrome) and the destination (Google Search), they say Google’s been driving competition straight off a cliff.

Google, predictably, is not amused. They have labeled the DOJ's plans as a radical agenda and are warning that everyone - yes, even you, dear internet user - will suffer if Chrome is split off. Of course, Google also plans to fight tooth and nail, so this tech showdown is shaping up to be the legal equivalent of a Marvel movie.

"DOJ’s wildly overbroad proposal goes miles beyond the Court’s decision. It would break a range of Google products — even beyond Search — that people love and find helpful in their everyday lives," Kent Walker, the company's chief legal officer, wrote in a statement on the company’s website.

And the Justice Department is not just stopping at asking Google to part ways with Chrome, they are coming for its playbook too. No more exclusive deals where Google pays big bucks to make sure its search engine is the default everything on your devices. Instead, smartphone makers and wireless carriers might get a shiny new feature: a choice screen that lets you pick your search engine. Browser democracy, finally!

The DOJ and its state allies are also proposing that Google must also share its treasure trove of click and query data - basically the secret sauce that makes Google searches so good - with its competitors. And not just crumbs. They want Google to hand over all the data, including content from its prized possessions like YouTube. Google would have to give rival search engines the same YouTube results it shows on its own platform.

So, in quite a twist of irony, Google the company that practically invented keeping users locked into its ecosystem might soon have to open the gates and let everyone in. Call it a search engine potluck, where Google's rivals finally get a taste of the good stuff. Can't wait to see how this one plays out!

Stay tuned for more plot twists, fiery arguments, and perhaps the first-ever tech breakup of this scale. Pass the popcorn.