If implemented, this would be a historic restrictive move for one of the world's largest technology companies.
According to Bloomberg, the US Department of Justice will also ask federal judge Amit Mehta to take action regarding artificial intelligence and Google's Android smartphones, as well as data licensing requirements.
If the judge implements the recommendations, this has the potential to reshape the online search market and the booming AI industry. The lawsuit against Google, filed under Donald Trump's first administration and continuing under Joe Biden, is the most forceful attempt to rein in a tech company since Washington's unsuccessful attempt to break up Microsoft two decades ago.
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Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google's vice president of legal affairs, stated that the U.S. Department of Justice "continues to advance an agenda that extends beyond legal matters," and that " government interference in these ways harms American consumers, developers, and tech leaders at a time when it is most needed."
The U.S. Department of Justice declined to comment.
Google shares fell as much as 1.8% to $172.16 at the close of trading. The stock had previously risen 25% this year.
Specifically, the proposals
Antitrust enforcers want the judge to order Google to sell Chrome – the most widely used browser in the world – because it is the primary access point for many people using Google's search engine.
If other measures are recommended that could create a more competitive market, whether Google should sell Chrome or not could be decided later.
According to StatCounter, a web traffic analytics service, the Chrome browser controls approximately 61% of the market in the US.
In August, Judge Mehta ruled that Google violated antitrust laws in both its online search and search text advertising markets. The company plans to appeal.
The judge scheduled a two-week hearing in April on the changes Google must make to remedy its illegal behavior and plans to issue a final ruling in August 2025.
The agencies unanimously recommended that Google should be required to license results and data from its search engine and provide websites with more options to prevent their content from being used by Google's artificial intelligence products.
The proposals also include Google separating the Android smartphone operating system from its other products, such as search functionality and the Google Play mobile app store, which are currently sold as bundled packages. Google is also proposed to share more information with advertisers and give them more control over where their ads appear.
Google now displays AI-powered answers at the top of its search results pages – called "AI summaries." While websites can opt out of Google using their information to build AI models, they can't opt out of the summary because that risks pushing them lower in search results, making it harder to reach their customers.
Website publishers complain that this feature reduces traffic and advertising revenue because users rarely click to view the data used in that summary.
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