Mar 12, 2025 13:11:00

Google claims selling Chrome would affect national security

Google, which has been asked by the Department of Justice to

sell its web browser Chrome, which is concerned about Google's monopoly on the search market, has reportedly responded by saying that a sale would not be wise from a national security perspective.

Google tells Trump's DOJ that forcing a Chrome sale would harm national security - Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/google/2025/03/google-cites-national-security-as-it-urges-doj-to-drop-demand-for-breakup/

Google is being sued by the Department of Justice, which claims that its search services and advertising services displayed in search results constitute a market monopoly. The Department of Justice's lawsuit was upheld in the first instance, and the Department of Justice has demanded that Google review some of its businesses. It has been reported that Google is being asked to split up its Chrome and Android businesses, curb investments in AI, and make its advertising system more equal.

If the Justice Department's demands are granted, Google would be forced to give up Chrome and also release 'search data.' According to the Justice Department, Google has so much data about the words users type into its search box that no other company can match, and it is under little pressure from competitors to develop products based on search queries.

Google has resisted these demands, arguing that if the user search queries it has collected and the search indexes it has built are given to other companies, not only will its profits be compromised but users' privacy will also be undermined, and it has called for the demands to be reconsidered.

Analysis of the Department of Justice's plan to end Google's search monopoly - GIGAZINE

It has been reported that Google met with the Justice Department team to plead for lighter restrictions, stating that 'splitting up Chrome and curbing investments in AI could harm the national security of the United States and its users.'

Google did not clarify how its business supports national security, however. According to technology media Ars Technica, Google has previously suggested that blocking updates would make Chrome and Android less secure, which may be related to this issue.

Ars Technica pointed out, 'If we believe that strong leadership in the AI market is necessary, then certainly restricting Google's AI investments could have an impact on national security. However, as Judge Amit P. Mehta handed down the lower-instance ruling, he said, 'AI products that mimic the functions of search engines are beginning to appear, and the search market is changing rapidly,' so some kind of relief regarding AI may be available.'

In response to the Department of Justice's request, Google has released its own remediation plan and is seeking a compromise. The matter is scheduled to begin in earnest in April 2025.