Responding to a ruling by a US court that does not require Google to break up its search business as part of efforts to address its online search monopoly, Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, said:
“Google is one of five big technology companies that have a collective hold over the online world, and this concentration of power has come at serious cost to our human rights. This ruling was a missed chance to rein in Google’s power.
“Google’s toxic business model is built on pervasive surveillance. By tracking people across the web and monetizing their personal data through targeted advertising, the company has severely undermined our right to privacy.
“Chrome has been a key tool in expanding these data harvesting practices. Forcing Google to break up its search business and sell Chrome could have marked a first step toward a digital world that respects our rights.
Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International
“Antitrust decisions are a critical lever for building a more rights-respecting digital world and dismantling corporate tech power. It’s crucial that regulators do not miss any more opportunities to address Google’s harmful monopolies. In the upcoming decision on Google’s advertising technology, they must consider a structural break-up that accounts for human rights needs.
“This is a pivotal moment. Tech regulators must work closely with human rights experts and other regulators to ensure that breaking up Big Tech leads to meaningful change – not just a reshuffling of the same harmful practices.”
Background
US District Judge Amit Mehta ruled on Tuesday that Google does not have to sell its Android operating system or its Chrome browser but must share its search data with competitors. The decision falls short of a US government request to force Google to break up its online business including selling its Chrome browser to address its monopoly power.
In August 2025, Amnesty International released the briefing Breaking up with Big Tech highlighting the power Big Tech companies – including Google – hold over access to the Internet and calling on states to rein in their dominance.
In 2024, a US court found that Google holds an illegal monopoly in online search. The US Department of Justice subsequently requested the court to order Google to divest its Chrome browser. That same court has now decided that Google will not be required to sell Chrome.
In a related case, a US court delivered a ruling in April declaring Google’s online advertising monopoly illegal.
