Alphabet keeps Chrome but must share data, judge rules

(Sharecast News) - Google parent company Alphabet will not have to sell its Chrome web browser, but will be forced to share information with competitors, according to a ruling from a US federal judge. The Department of Justice had initially demanded that Google sell Chrome - however, Tuesday's ruling means Alphabet will be able to keep the browser, but will be blocked from having exclusive contracts and will have to share search data with rivals.

In 2024, District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google had used unfair methods to establish a monopoly over the online search market, but said a complete sell-off of Chrome was "a poor fit for this case".

Mehta's decision on Tuesday follows a years-long court battle over Google's dominance in the online search market, with the case centring around Google's position as the default search engine on a range of its own products, such as Android and Chrome, as well as others made by the likes of Apple.

Google stated that it saw the ruling as a win, and said that the rise of artificial intelligence had likely contributed to the outcome.

"Today's decision recognises how much the industry has changed through the advent of AI, which is giving people so many more ways to find information," Google said. "This underlines what we've been saying since this case was filed in 2020: Competition is intense and people can easily choose the services they want."

As of 0820 BST, Alphabet shares were up 5.60% in pre-market hours at $233.87 each.







Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com