Welcome to The Hill's Technology newsletter {beacon} Technology Technology   The Big Story  Justice Department seeks to split Google from Chrome The Department of Justice (DOJ) is asking a federal judge to order Google to sell off its Chrome browser after the court found the tech giant maintained an illegal monopoly over online search.  © AP Photo/Don Ryan In a filing late Wednesday night, the DOJ argued Google’s ownership and control of Chrome, as well as Android, stand in the way of its efforts to open up the market and prevent future monopolization.    “The playing field is not level because of Google’s conduct, and Google’s quality reflects the ill-gotten gains of an advantage illegally acquired,” the agency wrote. “The remedy must close this gap and deprive Google of these advantages.”    The DOJ’s proposal would require Google to divest from Chrome and prohibit the search giant from owning another browser for five years. It would also block the company from owning or investing in potential rivals over the same period.    As for Android — which the agency contended offers Google “myriad obvious and not-so-obvious ways to favor its own search products” — the DOJ said it would ask the company to divest from its mobile operating system only if the other remedies are not effective at reining in its monopoly or Google attempts to circumvent them.    The remedies also take aim at the exclusive agreements that Google has entered into with partners, like Apple, to make its search engine the default on their devices. The DOJ’s proposal would prohibit such agreements, which were at the heart of the case.    Google would also be barred from preferencing its search engine through its other products, such as Android, YouTube or its artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot Gemini.    Kent Walker, Google’s chief legal officer and president of global affairs, described the DOJ’s recommended remedies as a “staggering proposal.”    “DOJ chose to push a radical interventionist agenda that would harm Americans and America’s global technology leadership,” Walker wrote in a blog post.   “DOJ’s wildly overbroad proposal goes miles beyond the Court’s decision. It would break a range of Google products — even beyond Search — that people love and find helpful in their everyday lives," he continued.   Read more in a full report at TheHill.com.   Welcome to The Hill’s Technology newsletter, we're Julia Shapero and — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley.   Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.   Essential Reads  How policy will be impacting the tech sector now and in the future:   Meta removes 2 million accounts accused of ‘pig butchering’ scams Meta said Thursday it removed more than 2 million accounts linked to “pig-butchering” investment schemes that leave victims out of large sums of money. These pig-butchering fraud schemes are usually long-term cons, in which scammers pose as friendly or romantic individuals or government or business representatives who ultimately manipulate victims into depositing money into an investment scheme. The schemes lose …  Full Story   Consumer watchdog to oversee digital wallets, payment apps Large companies that offer digital wallets and payment apps will now be overseen by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).  The CFPB finalized a rule Thursday to bring companies handling more than 50 million transactions a year under its supervision. This will include Apple, Google, Amazon, PayPal, Block, Venmo and Zelle, according to CNBC.  “Digital payments have gone from novelty to necessity and our …  Full Story   SEC chair to step down on Inauguration Day Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler will step down from his role when President-elect Trump takes office on Jan. 20, he announced Thursday.  “The Securities and Exchange Commission is a remarkable agency,” Gensler said in a statement. “The staff comprises true public servants. It has been an honor of a lifetime to serve with them on behalf of everyday Americans and ensure that our capital markets remain …  Full Story   The Refresh  News we've flagged from the intersection of tech and other topics:   Sam Altman's startup appoints former X exec OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's startup, Tools for Humanity, has tapped Nick Pickles, X's former vice president of global affair as chief policy officer, The Wall Street Journal reports.    Apple looks to revamp Siri assistant in AI race Apple is working to develop a more conversational version of its Siri voice assistant to keep up with OpenAI's ChatGPT and other voice services, Bloomberg reports.   In Other News  Branch out with other reads on The Hill: Bezos pushes back on Musk claim he said Trump would lose Jeff Bezos is pushing back on a claim from fellow billionaire Elon Musk that the Amazon founder and Washington Post owner predicted former President Trump would lose this month’s presidential election to Vice President Harris. “Just learned tonight at Mar-a-Lago that Jeff Bezos was telling everyone that [Trump] would lose for sure, so they should sell all their Tesla and SpaceX stock,” Musk wrote on the social … Full Story   What Others are Reading  Two key stories on The Hill right now: Gaetz withdraws from attorney general consideration Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) has withdrawn his nomination to be Attorney General for President-elect Trump. Read more Trump eyes new AG picks after Gaetz withdrawal Former Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R-Fla.) withdrawal as a nominee has sent President-elect Trump back to the drawing board on securing an attorney general … Read more     You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!  Close Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Technology newsletter Subscribe