Feds push Google to sell Chrome browser to break search monopoly

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• Amna Nawaz:

  The Department of Justice has asked a federal judge to force Google to sell-off its popular Web browser Chrome. It comes after an antitrust case found Google had illegally maintained a monopoly in search. The outcome could have a major impact on the company and on the way so many of us interact with the Internet.

  William Brangham has the details.

• William Brangham:

  Amna, Chrome is worth an estimated $20 billion, and it is a central part of Google's business model, so the implications here could be enormous.

  In a filing late yesterday, the government also asked a judge to force Google to divest from its Android mobile operating system. It also wants the company to stop paying phone makers like Apple to keep Google Search the default on their devices.

  Google, for its part, called the DOJ's approach unprecedented government overreach and said it would — quote — "break a range of Google products that people love and find helpful in their everyday lives."

  So, to help us understand this move, we are joined again by NPR technology correspondent Bobby Allyn.

  Bobby Allyn, so good to have you back on the program.

  What is the Department of Justice's argument here? Why are they saying, Google, you have got to carve Chrome away from your company?

  Bobby Allyn, Business and Technology Reporter, NPR: The Department of Justice is saying that Google just has too much power.

  Justice lawyers say a way to sort of push back on that power is to have another company come in and buy Chrome, which is a Web browser that has two-thirds of the market globally for browsing the Internet. And for too long, the Department of Justice says, Google has self-preferenced all of its products to give itself an unfair advantage.

  For instance, if you open a new tab on Chrome and type something in, you get Google search results. If you pull out your iPhone and you type something in to Safari, you get Google results. That has created a situation in which other competitors cannot rival this company because they just have it too locked down.

  And, here, the Justice Department is trying to push back against that.

• William Brangham:

  So let's say, specifically on this issue of Chrome, that Google was forced to separate itself from that search engine. Wouldn't everyone still just go to Google via every other browser that's out there because it is so popular?

• Bobby Allyn:

  That certainly is Google's argument. They say the reason why they have search dominance — and, in fact, they do. About two-thirds of the global browser market is dominated by Google's Chrome.

  But the company says that's because they have a superior product. And we actually have seen, in Europe, which has done quite a bit to rein in big tech companies like Google, when consumers are given a choice, say, when they have a new iPhone, what would you like to be your default search engine, overwhelmingly, consumers pick Google.

  And the company says that's because their product is better than all the rivals. But the DOJ says, no, that's because they have been able to maintain this iron grip on Google Search by operating like an illegal monopoly and by throwing its weight around whenever it can to box out rivals.

  And so now the question becomes, will Google actually have to sell Chrome? And if it does sell Chrome, who will buy it? And what will that mean for consumers? And these are all questions we don't have the answers to, but one thing is for sure. It will certainly — this whole legal process is going to upend Silicon Valley in a pretty meaningful way.

• William Brangham:

  And what about this issue I mentioned about Google and its relationship to Android, and what does the government want to do vis-a-vis that relationship?

• Bobby Allyn:

  Yes, so the DOJ gave Google an ultimatum when it comes to Android, which is the most popular operating system in the world.

  The DOJ has said either you stop self-preferencing your own products like Google Search, or we, the DOJ, may come back to this court in order that you spin off the Android division completely from Google. And that would be a really dramatic, severe punishment for Google.

  But the DOJ is not yet asking for that. They're saying, look, Google, we want to give you an opportunity to let more competitors into the Android operating system on everyone's Samsung phones so that people have more options beyond Chrome and beyond Google Search. If they fail to do that, the justice lawyers are saying they might just one day ask that Android too be sold off, just as they're pushing for Chrome to be sold off.

• William Brangham:

  And I know at this point it's hard to know because we don't know how this is going to shake out, but for the average Internet user who simply wants their phone or their computer to work in a smooth and seamless way and to get results that are legitimate and accurate, does this potentially upend those things or will this not really affect consumers?

• Bobby Allyn:

  When it comes to consumers, most experts I talk to said, if Chrome is sold off, it's actually going to be a bit of a pain.

  I mean, we all use Google and turn to Google, one, because it's kind of our habit and, two, because, for the most part, it has been a pretty consistently good product over the years.

  Now, more than ever, especially since A.I. search engines have really been becoming increasingly popular, some have noticed that Google Search has not been as strong as it has in the past. But in the short run, if Chrome is sold off to another company, it's going to become a bit of a pain in terms of, as you're saying, navigating the Internet.

  You're going to see your search results display a little differently. The interface might seem a little different, a little clunky, because it's not the Google Search that you're used to. But the Department of Justice says this in response: We need more competition into the online search market, because Google for decades has dominated in a way that has just been unfair.

• William Brangham:

  A political question for you. I know that the Department of Justice is not supposed to swing with the political winds, but attorneys general can say, focus on this and focus less on that.

  Do you have any sense as to whether the Trump Department of Justice, and now we don't know who's even going to be running that, would pursue these cases similarly the way that Biden's Department of Justice does?

• Bobby Allyn:

  That's the million-dollar question.

  It's worth noting that this lawsuit started in the Trump administration, and the Biden administration carried it to trial and won in court. Now, when Trump gets into office and whether his Department of Justice will pursue these similar remedies or reach a settlement that has some other details, we just don't know.

  I mean, one thing is for sure, and that's the Biden administration has as part of its legacy this push to rein in big tech and to come down really hard on companies like Google.

• William Brangham:

  All right, Bobby Allyn, the technology correspondent for NPR, thank you so much for your time.

• Bobby Allyn:

  Thanks for having me.