The U.S. Justice Department wants Google to sell Chrome and end default search deals

A federal court in the U.S. has begun hearings on Google’s monopoly in online search, with the Department of Justice pushing for tough antitrust measures.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the DOJ is demanding that Google be forced to sell its Chrome browser, terminate default search engine agreements on devices, and grant competitors access to user data.

The case is overseen by Judge Amit Mehta, who had previously ruled that Google’s monopoly is illegal. DOJ attorney David Dahlquist said the court has the power to “end the dominance that has shaped the internet for a generation.” The DOJ is referencing its recent success in another antitrust suit targeting Google’s advertising business.

According to the case, Google controls roughly 90% of the global search market — in part due to annual payments of over $20 billion to Apple to remain Safari’s default search engine.

Google called the DOJ’s demands “a wishlist for competitors” and warned that such actions would harm innovation. While the company is open to reviewing some agreements, it opposes the idea of selling Chrome or taking other drastic steps.