Is spinning off Chrome not enough? The Justice Department seeks to spin off the Android system and restrict Google's AI training

Google's antitrust case escalates again! Recently, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a request with the court, demanding that Google not only divest its Chrome browser but also its Android operating system, and restrict Google from training AI models.

According to a report by the Financial Times on the 21st, the court documents submitted by the Department of Justice on Thursday indicate that divesting the Chrome browser and Android operating system could effectively weaken Google's dominance in the online search market.

If the proposal is ultimately accepted, Google will no longer be allowed to own a browser and cannot re-enter the browser market for the next five years. At the same time, the Department of Justice also requires Google to divest its investments in search engines, query-based AI products, and advertising technology within six months.

With Trump's election as president and the imminent reappointment of a new leadership for the Justice Department, Google's antitrust case is entering a critical phase.

Department of Justice demands restrictions on Google's AI training content

Earlier this week, Bloomberg reported that the U.S. Department of Justice plans to force Google to sell Chrome. The Department believes that divesting the Chrome browser will allow Google's competitors to compete for market share that should rightfully belong to them and can break Google's long-standing monopoly in the search engine market.

Now, the conflict between the two sides has escalated again. In addition to divesting the browser, the Department of Justice also demands that Google divest the Android system and restrict the training content of its AI models.

Prosecutors stated in the documents:

“Due to Google's actions, the competitive environment is not fair, and Google's behavior reflects the unjust enrichment from its illegally obtained advantages. Remedies must bridge this gap and strip Google of these advantages.”

According to the proposal, Google must allow competitors to access its search index, user, and advertising data at "marginal cost," while ensuring privacy protection.

This means that Google will no longer be able to monopolize a large amount of data resources, which are crucial for AI training.

The Department of Justice also stated that Google should stop paying billions of dollars annually to partners like Apple to make its search engine the default option, a practice that has become a core means for Google to maintain its dominance in the search engine market.

In 2021, the amount Google paid to Apple exceeded $20 billion, which helped secure its default search engine status in Apple's Safari browser.

Google strongly opposes, claiming "affects consumers and technological competitiveness"

Naturally, Google is not willing to back down and strongly opposes this proposal, calling the Department of Justice's demands "shocking and overly aggressive."

Google believes that divesting the Chrome browser and Android operating system will harm consumers, as these products are currently free, and Google uses them as "loss-leader tools" to promote its search engine and advertising business. In particular, no other company can invest enough funds to maintain the security and competitiveness of the browser In addition, Google also stated that this requirement could have a serious impact on its investments in the AI field, thereby weakening its global technological leadership.

Currently, the case is still under review, and Judge Amit Mehta is expected to make a decision on whether to accept these remedies by mid-2025. If the proposal is adopted, it would be a historic victory for the U.S. antitrust authorities against Google.

However, with Trump set to take office as President of the United States, the prospects for the Department of Justice's antitrust actions are also filled with uncertainty. Whether he will reappoint a new leadership for the Department of Justice and continue to take such severe measures against Google will remain an open question. Additionally, it is also unclear whether the Trump administration will change the existing antitrust policies