
The US Division of Justice (DOJ) has just lately dominated towards Google twice: in August 2024 for monopolizing the search engine and search promoting markets, and in April 2025 for its digital promoting community being an unlawful monopoly.
Proposed DOJ cures embody doubtlessly forcing Google to promote its Chrome browser or elements of the Android working system. Moreover, the Federal Commerce Fee (FTC) has an ongoing antitrust trial towards Meta (Fb), alleging the corporate illegally maintains a monopoly in private social networking by its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp and the imposition of anti-competitive situations on software program builders. The FTC is searching for to unwind these acquisitions.
The EU has additionally been very energetic in its antitrust scrutiny of Google and Meta, issuing substantial fines. In November 2024, the EU fined Meta for linking its on-line categorized advertisements service Fb Market to its social community, which was deemed an unfair benefit. Extra just lately, Meta was fined for breaching the Digital Markets Act concerning its “pay or consent” mannequin for ad-free entry to Fb and Instagram, because the EU argued it doesn’t present customers with a real free selection about their information.
The approaches taken by the US and EU in difficult Google and Meta’s monopolies differ. The EU has adopted a broader and extra interventionist strategy, exemplified by its historical past of antitrust scrutiny towards Google and its willingness to subject hefty fines. In distinction, the US has traditionally centered extra narrowly on demonstrable shopper hurt and has been extra hesitant to pursue structural cures like breakups. Nevertheless, rising scrutiny suggests a possible shift in direction of a extra assertive stance. However President Trump’s current firing of two FTC commissioners in March might point out efforts to curb this rising scrutiny. These divergent paths mirror variations in authorized frameworks, regulatory cultures, particular market considerations, and political priorities.