The Department of Justice's recent move to try to force Google to divest its Chrome browser operations represents a step in the right direction—but it's merely a baby step when a giant leap is needed. The mounting crisis of tech monopolies demands a far more aggressive approach to dismantling these digital empires that have grown too powerful for the health of our free market system.
The DOJ is right to start with Google when you consider its sprawling dominance. Chrome is just one tentacle of a leviathan that has wrapped itself around virtually every aspect of our digital lives. While forcing Google to spin off Chrome would introduce some competition into the browser market, it leaves untouched the company's iron grip on mobile operating systems through Android, its unparalleled dominance as a search engine, and its stranglehold on digital advertising. True competition demands that Google be broken into several independent companies, each focused on a distinct market segment—much like the 1984 breakup of Bell System into regional "Baby Bells."
But Google is far from alone in deserving this antitrust treatment. Meta's empire, encompassing Facebook, Instagram, and now Threads, represents a monopolistic........