U.S. Department of Justice refuses to budge and still wants Google to sell Chrome

It looks like Google could be set for a major breakup. The ongoing antitrust case happening in the United States has seen a federal judge double-down and commit to their stance that Google is a monopoly and that it should be forced to sell off its browser Chrome and maybe even its mobile platform Android.

The latest filing from the Department of Justice, as per The New York Times, claims that Google is an "economic goliath" and that the company has blocked "the ability to choose in the marketplace," a decision that can only be rectified if Google was to "divest the Chrome browser" and to "provide an opportunity for a rival to operate a significant gateway to search the internet."

As per the Android business, the DOJ wants Google to adjust its practices to promote competition too, else it will also be ordered to sell the operating system and give up its major presence in the mobile and tablet space.

The one area that the DOJ has pulled back is in reference to artificial intelligence. Google is no longer being pushed to drop its AI investments, but that it must "notify federal and state officials" before making any further investments in the category.

Google is, as expected, less than impressed by these new demands and notes that these would "harm America's consumers, economy, and national security." The technology giant is looking to circumvent these demands by placing court restrictions on the deals it can make, instead of simply selling off Chrome and perhaps even Android. A hearing that will determine the effectiveness of these counter ideas will happen in April.