The U.S. Justice Department aims to compel Google to sell its Chrome browser.

According to information from the publication's sources, the Justice Department will ask the judge who ruled in August that Google illegally monopolized the search market to take measures related to artificial intelligence and the Android smartphone operating system. Antitrust officials are also planning to recommend that federal judge Amit Mehta impose data licensing requirements. If the judge accepts these proposals, they could reshape the online search market and the emerging artificial intelligence industry.

“Owning the world’s most popular web browser is crucial for Google’s advertising business. The company can monitor user activity and leverage this data for more effective targeting of ad campaigns, which generate a significant portion of its revenue. Google also uses Chrome to direct users to its flagship AI product, Gemini, which has the potential to evolve from a chatbot into an assistant that follows users across the internet,” the media notes.

The case was initiated during the first Trump administration and continued under President Joe Biden. This is the most aggressive attempt to rein in a tech company since Washington's unsuccessful effort to break up Microsoft Corp. two decades ago.