Google avoids break up but must share search data with rivals in landmark antitrust decision

Google has sidestepped a forced break-up following a high-profile antitrust case in the United States, but a federal judge has ordered the tech giant to share its valuable search data with competitors. This decision, delivered by US District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington DC, comes after a legal battle spanning five years between Google and the US Justice Department.

The ruling stops short of forcing Google to sell major assets such as its Chrome browser or Android operating system. Instead, Judge Mehta barred the company from making exclusive agreements that would prevent device manufacturers from pre-installing rival search products on new devices. The decision is expected to ease competitive pressures in online search by ensuring competitors access the kind of data that Google has long kept proprietary.

The financial markets responded positively to the judgement, with shares in Google’s parent company, Alphabet, rising by more than 7 per cent in after-hours trading. Investors were clearly relieved that the demands on Google will not extend to drastic asset sales, which many feared could disrupt a significant segment of the technology sector.

Judge Mehta found that Google did not use Chrome or Android to impose illegal restraints on competition, describing the government’s call for divestiture as exceeding legal necessity. The verdict provides some reassurance to Apple and other device manufacturers, who will continue to receive substantial advertising revenue-sharing payments from Google for searches made through their devices. Morgan Stanley analysts estimate Google pays Apple around $20 billion annually in these arrangements.

Despite this setback for the government, there remains the possibility of further legal developments, as Google has indicated its intention to appeal. Remedy hearings related to other aspects of Google’s online advertising dominance are also scheduled for later this year.

The case is emblematic of a broader regulatory push against the world’s largest technology groups. The bipartisan crackdown, launched during President Trump’s first term, also targets Meta, Amazon and Apple, highlighting mounting concerns around the concentration of digital power in the hands of a few global players.