U.S. regulators want a federal judge to break up Google to prevent the company from continuing to squash competition through its dominant search engine after a court found it had maintained a monopoly over the past decade. The U.S. Justice Department has officially proposed breaking up Google, calling for a federal judge to force the search giant to sell Chrome, the most popular web browser in the world. The filing is part of the government’s landmark case that found that Google monopolizes online search, violating U.S. antitrust law.

Find more statistics at Statista

Chrome is the most widely used web browser on the planet. Separating Google from its browser would be one of the most significant antitrust penalties against a tech company. The proposal is the most significant remedy requested in a tech antitrust case since the Justice Department asked to break up Microsoft in 2000. Note that an appeals court overturned the government’s attempted breakup of Microsoft in the 2000s.

Google’s response:

As part of its lawsuit over how we distribute Search, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a staggering proposal that seeks dramatic changes to Google services.
…
DOJ chose to push a radical interventionist agenda that would harm Americans and America’s global technology leadership. DOJ’s wildly overbroad proposal goes miles beyond the Court’s decision. It would break a range of Google products — even beyond Search — people love and find helpful in their everyday lives.
…
Endanger the security and privacy of millions of Americans, and undermine the quality of products people love, by forcing the sale of Chrome and potentially Android.

Why are regulators targeting Chrome? Chrome is tied to Google Search because it is a web browser developed by Google. By default, when users use the search bar in Chrome, it utilizes the Google search engine to provide results, meaning when users search on Chrome, users are essentially searching using Google’s search algorithm, especially if the user is signed in with a Google account and have Google set as their default search engine.

When Chrome is installed, Google is the default search engine, so when users type something in the address bar, it automatically searches through Google. Regulators argued that Google locked out rivals by signing deals with equipment manufacturers Apple, Mozilla, Samsung, and others as the default search engine appearing when users open a smartphone or a new tab in a web browser. According to regulators, Google paid an estimated $26 billion as part of those deals.

Chrome is a Google product that features Google account integration. Signing into Chrome with a Google account allows users to sync their search history, bookmarks, and other data across devices. Account integration is important because when users use the search bar, Chrome can provide search suggestions based on their past searches and Google’s prediction service.

There are also privacy considerations related to Google account integration. When a user is signed in to a Google account, their search activity on Chrome may be stored and used to personalize their Google experience across other services and devices.

Why is this important now? Looking at the market share data for Internet web browsers presented above, Chrome is the closest competitor to Safari, which Safari developer Apple says is “the best way to view the Internet on all your Apple devices.” The following closest competitive web browsers (if they can be called that, looking at the market share data) are Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox. You can test to see if your critical applications operate correctly using one of those web browsers.