What a forced sale of Chrome could mean for Google and the internet

If you're reading this article, there's a good chance you're using Chrome. The DOJ's court filing accuses Google of "unlawful behaviour" by trying to prevent rivals from being able to get a foothold in the market. If Judge Mehta rules in favour of all of the DOJ's demands, it would mean: Google would be forced to sell Chrome It would be banned from releasing a new web browser for five years for five years If competition doesn't improve, Google would have to sell its Android operating system for smartphones for smartphones Google would be banned from paying billions of dollars to companies like Apple to make itself the default search engine on their devices This is unlikely to happen overnight, as experts say Google has the option to appeal any rulings. Syracuse University professor of advertising Beth Egan says losing Chrome would force Google to dramatically shift its business model. But in a blog post on Google's website, Alphabet's regulatory affairs vice-president Lee-Anne Mulholland says selling Chrome, and Android, "would break them".