The European Parliament voted to break up Google amid fears of its rapidly expanding power and presence in the European Union.
While the resolution is merely symbolic and has no legal weight, the move shows just how scrutinized Google is in Europe despite the growing reliance of the people on its services and devices.
Google will almost certainly not break up in Europe, according to legal experts. It is also too early to tell if any of the EU's initiatives, such as the expansion of the "right to be forgotten" rule that protects the privacy of users in online searches, will be able to affect Google's business in the region.
However, the actions of the EU show antipathy to Google. This kind of treatment was last seen when officials in Europe were trying to rein in the technological dominance of Microsoft.
Fears of the EU with regard to tech giants from America have recently been intensified by revelations made by former National Security Agency employee Edward Snowden.
The vote by the European Parliament is just a political statement because the body has no real power over the prevailing antitrust policies in the EU. This power lies in the European Commission, which is the executive arm of the EU.
The vote, however, could put more pressure on Margrethe Vestager, the new antitrust head, to hasten the decision on bringing antitrust charges against Google for investigations that started back in 2010.
These investigations involve the dominance of Google in the online search business in Europe, inquiring whether the search results returned by the company favor services related to Google and gravely hamper the business of rival online search companies.
However, analysts believe that even if Vestager files charges against Google, the worst that could happen to Google would be adjustments in the way it conducts its business and a massive fine, such as what past investigations in Europe have heaped upon Microsoft and Intel.
"Breaking up Google would be unprecedented in all kinds of ways and seems hugely unlikely in absence of massive, proven consumer harm -- and it's very unclear to me whether the commission is going to find that harm," said Mario Mariniello from the Brussels-based think tank Bruegel.
Vestager's spokesman Ricardo Cardoso said that the antitrust chief will not be moved by the result of the vote by the European Parliament.
Cardoso added that antitrust decisions should not be affected by politics so that the procedures of the European Union will not be questioned.
