Since the US Department of Justice (DoJ) announced that it intends to seek the divestiture of Google’s Chrome browser there has been much speculation about what this means for Chrome and the wider web. It is hard for many to envision what a post-Google Chrome might look like, how it might work, and who would pay for it.
MOW has been considering this issue for some time and, in early 2024, we wrote “Breaking up the browsers. A proposal for the save the Open Web” to assist regulators in understanding how light touch intervention can drive innovation and break monopoly control in digital markets.
Following the DoJ judgement we have now created a detailed white paper on a future vision for Chrome. The key findings are:
- Chromium First – The Chromium browser engine powers Chrome (and a number of other browsers). As such, it should be the key focus of a divestment. It is too important to be controlled by any single company so should be created as a not-for-profit business run for the good of society in the model of the Linux foundation.
- Scope – Chromium and Chrome would be restricted to providing just web access and enabling interoperability, all other areas such as advertising and authentication would be enabled by competitive markets of third party providers.
- Cost – In the same way as Linux, the cost of running an independent Chromium/Chrome would be covered by donations from companies that rely on a stable web browser to operate. The cost and complexity of running Chromium/Chrome would also be significantly reduced by removing unnecessary functionality, updates and bloated Google code that only serves to self-preference the monopolist.
- Components – Chrome’s ‘Extension’ functionality would become the heart of a competitive market for functionality. Different aspects of user functionality such as payments, AI and data protection could be catered for by a competitive market of third party extension providers, giving consumers choice in their browser functionality and creating new competitive markets. Further markets in pre-specified configurations would emerge to cater for consumers who simply want plug-and-play functionality.
A new ‘public service’ Chrome in this model would create a globally beneficial asset, a core part of the web ecosystem that enables web access for all whilst facilitating innovation and competition amongst businesses. The DoJ judgement is an opportunity to reshape how the web works and to create a model that is fit for the future. We must embrace it while we can.