Washington, D.C. – The Consumer Choice Center (CCC) expresses deep concern over the DOJ’s proposed remedy in the case of United States v. Google LLC that would force the tech firm sell off its popular Chrome browser, as was filed with the court on Wednesday.

Having never demonstrated a specific monopoly in the browser market, this wish by the Department of Justice is just the first of many that will have unintended consequences on consumers who use internet products. 

“There has never been a more vibrant and competitive time for Internet browsers. From privacy options like Mullvad, Apple’s Safari, or the various open-source forks of Firefox, there is literally no world where consumers are forced to use any browser. Added to that, most other browsers use open-source code from Google’s Chromium project, which will no doubt be put in jeopardy. The DOJ is continuing to advance an ideological campaign that ignores consumer choice and makes a mockery of antitrust law,” said YAËL OSSOWSKI, Deputy Director of the Consumer Choice Center. 

The DOJ’s proposed remedy to force the sale of Chrome is only the first the department has offered, and we can expect that much more will come.

“The Biden Administration, whether it be at the Federal Trade Commission or Department of Justice, has completely ignored consumer welfare as a factor in how they select antitrust cases and now how they propose remedies to favorable judges. It’s highly political,” YAËL OSSOWSKI of the Consumer Choice Center continued,  “The United States is drifting toward the anti-tech posture of the European Union, wherein the default position becomes one of penalizing successful American companies for their popularity at a time when artificial intelligence and China-led projects are disrupting the market in real-time.”

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The Consumer Choice Center is an independent, nonpartisan consumer advocacy group championing the benefits of freedom of choice, innovation, and abundance in everyday life for consumers in over 100 countries. We closely monitor regulatory trends in Washington, Brussels, Ottawa, Brasilia, London, and Geneva.

Find out more at www.consumerchoicecenter.org