US Justice Department Appeals to Ban Google Paid Default Search; Mozilla at Risk

The US Justice Department is advancing an injunction against Google, seeking to prevent the company from paying to become the default search engine on major browsers. The case stems from a lawsuit filed by the Justice Department together with multiple states in 2020, which alleged that Google locked in default search positions through deals with Apple's Safari, Firefox and Android devices. In 2024, federal judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google illegally maintained its monopoly in general search and search text advertising. The Justice Department had proposed penalties including compelling the divestiture of Chrome and Android, requiring Google to open its search data, and prohibiting payments to companies such as Apple and Mozilla for default search engine placement.

In September 2025, Judge Mehta rejected the proposals to divest Chrome and Android. In July 2026, the Justice Department filed a brief requesting the appeals court to uphold the other rulings, while explicitly asking it to overturn the decision that allowed placement fees. Data shows Google spends more than $26 billion annually on such default search engine transactions.

This development directly affects Mozilla and other independent browser makers. Google is not only the most commonly used search engine for Firefox users, but also a major source of Mozilla's revenue, as about 85% of Mozilla's US market revenue comes directly from Google's default placement payments. Google is currently scheduled to formally file its response brief on September 29.