Dividing the empire: How the US government wants to tame Google

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is stepping up its fight against monopolies in the technology world and has targeted one of the biggest players - Google. After successfully arguing that Google is running its search business illegally, the DOJ is now demanding a radical solution: a break-up of the tech giant. However, this effort will first have to be defended in court.

Google under scrutiny

The DOJ is demanding that parent company Alphabet sell its Chrome browser and either sell the Android operating system to a new owner or impose strict limits on its use. The aim is to prevent Google from pushing its own search engine or advertising services as the default setting on Android devices. These steps are meant to be a tool to restore competition.

"Google has a 61% share of the web browser market. The demand for a split is therefore in line with the seriousness of the situation," said antitrust lawyer Jeffrey Shinder. However, he points to complications - including Google's strong…