News Corp’s Australian arm calls for Google breakup

The Australian arm of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp (NWSA.O) called for an enforced break-up of Alphabet Inc’s Google Inc (GOOGL.O), acknowledging the measure would involve global coordination but calling it necessary to preserve advertising and the news media.

The demand, published on Tuesday as part of a government inquiry, goes beyond the recommendations of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) which crossed swords with Google by requesting a new regulatory body to oversee global tech operators.

In an 80-page submission largely centered on Google, News Corp Australia said the US company had created an “ecosystem” where it could control the results of people’s internet searches and then charge advertisers based on how many people viewed their advertisements.