Google No Longer Forced To Sell Chrome, But Must Do This

JAKARTA Google was finally no longer forced to sell Chrome browsers after being found guilty in an antitrust lawsuit last year. This decision was made by DC District Court Judge Amit Mehta.

With this decision made, Judge Mehta rejected several proposals from the US Department of Justice (DOJ) aimed at breaking Google's dominance. This decision also includes an agreement between Google and third parties.

Google can still pay distribution partners for its placement of search products or Artificial Intelligence (AI). However, this decision was made on condition. Mehta ordered Google to share their search information with its competitors.

This is expected to help competitors increase their ability to compete in the market. In addition, Google is prohibited from making exclusive deals to distribute its search assistant or AI products.

Mehta explained the reason for refusing to sell Chrome in a decision sheet that reached 230 pages. According to him, Chrome divestment is an unreasonable and too risky request.

According to the judge, selling Chrome could lead to a significant decline in product quality. He is also worried that banning Google payments to platforms like Apple and Mozilla will harm them.

Therefore, Mehta made regulations that were considered more balanced so that competitors could distribute their products without being cut. Even though this decision benefits Google, the technology company still feels burdened by the court.

Google's vice president of regulatory affairs, Lee-Anne Mulholland, stated that the company was reviewing the decision. He also expressed concerns about how these requirements could affect their users and privacy.

On the other hand, DOJ's Head of Antitrust, Total Slater, welcomed this ruling as a victory. He said that "Trump's government is first suing Google to restore competition for millions of Americans who are the target of Google's monopoly abuse. Today, the second Trump administration has won a solution to do that."