should Google be broken up?

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As suggested by the fact that its very name has become shorthand for online search, Google’s dominance isn’t in question: if you look at market share, it has no real rivals. In the US, nearly 90 per cent of search queries flowed through Google in 2020, and on mobile that figure was 95 per cent — the next closest, Microsoft’s Bing, accounted for just 6 per cent.

On Tuesday, the US Department of Justice proposed various remedies to break down what a judge has ruled is the search giant’s illegal monopoly. This “high-level framework” offered solutions that ranged from softer approaches, such as Google limiting payments to smartphone makers in return for exclusivity on their devices, up to the most draconian option: forcibly breaking up the company.

A structural remedy could mean spinning off Google’s Chrome browser or Android operating system. But it’s unclear if even this would shake their dominance. We know that when European Android users select a search engine when they set up a new phone, nine out of 10 still use Google.

A hearing is set for April, and Amit Mehta, the judge who branded Google a “monopolist” at the conclusion of the trial in August, has said he will try to rule by August 2025.

So what do you think: should Google be broken up? Tell us your view by voting in our poll or commenting below the line.