The Department of Justice (DOJ) is trying to force Google to sell Chrome after a federal judge ruled that the tech giant had monopolized the search market. Getting Google to divest from Chrome and Android won’t significantly reduce Google’s market share in general search services, it will just hurt consumers.

The DOJ’s antitrust crusade against the tech giant began in October 2020 when, invoking Section 2 of the Sherman Act, he argued that Google had abused its monopoly power to “require pre-installation and conspicuous placement of Google’s applications,” among other allegations of exclusionary behavior. Judge Amit P. Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia spoke out in favor of the DOJ in August, finding Google guilty of monopolizing the general search engine (GSE) market.

To end Google’s monopoly on the GSE market, the DOJ recommended divestment from Chrome, “which ‘reinforced (Google’s) dominance'” and from Android, “which would prevent Google from using Android to exclude competing search providers.”

Ryan Young, senior economist at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, explains Reason that the DOJ’s narrow market definition does not take into account Reddit, ChatGPT and other GSE alternatives, which “have become popular and outperform Google in some areas.”

Even accepting the DOJ’s definition of the GSE market, the claim that Chrome is responsible for Google’s market dominance is highly dubious. Google accounted for 89 percent of the US search engine market although Chrome only represents 57% of the US browser market in October 2024. This means that at least 74% of non-Chrome users search with Google, even assuming 100% of Chrome users search with Google.

Even if Chrome suddenly disappeared, it’s clear that Google would still dominate the GSE market. Nonetheless, antitrust authorities insist that Chrome is “a key access point through which many people use (Google’s) search engine.” reports Bloomberg. While Chrome is a key access point to Google, so are Safari, Firefox and Edge.

The DOJ also recommends that Google be prohibited from using “its ownership and control over Android, or any other Google product or service, to: degrade…the features, functionality, or user experience of the GSEs, Search Text Competing Ads or AI Products. Android devices.” But divesting Google from Android would deprive users of the convenience of bundling smartphones with the suite of pre-installed Google apps, including Chrome, Google Play, Google Maps, Google Drive and the rest of the full suite of apps free.

This is not the only lawsuit the DOJ has filed against Google. The DOJ continued the troubled tech company in January 2023 for violating the Sherman Antitrust Act by monopolizing digital advertising technology. The DOJ says Google’s acquisitions of ad tech competitors “have had adverse effects on competition and consumers.” But that’s not entirely true.

Waiting for an acquisition benefits consumers by encouraging investment in R&D in a manner similar to pre-market commitments that guarantee firms a predefined return on a product. If the latter benefits consumers by encouraging innovation, the former also benefits.

Consumer welfare is the ultimate goal of competition, just as “consumption is the sole end and goal of all production.” according to Adam Smith. Google’s integration of its search engine, suite of apps, browser, and Android phones has improved consumers’ lives; the DOJ’s recommendations will only make things worse.