The US Department of Justice is considering breaking up Alphabet and pushing for the company to share its data with competitors. This move is part of a larger debate about the power of big tech companies and what should be done about it. The Sherman Anti-trust Act of 1890 was passed to regulate interstate commerce and break up trusts that were monopolizing businesses. The law was initially vague, but the Supreme Court added the constraint that it only forbade competitive restraints that were "unreasonable." The Clayton Act of 1914 clarified and expanded the Sherman Act, covering activities such as mergers, predatory pricing, and sales ties.The effectiveness of anti-trust laws depends on how they are enforced, and enforcement has ebbed and flowed over the years. The Federal Trade Commission was created to enforce anti-trust laws, and its mission is to protect the public from deceptive or unfair business practices. The enforcement of anti-trust laws has been influenced by changing administrations and court judgments. There is a divide between those who believe the central objective of anti-trust laws is to enhance competition and those who believe it is to protect consumers.The government has the power to stop or change a company's behavior if it believes it will stymie competition. This can include stopping mergers, requiring companies to divest certain assets, or changing their pricing practices. The government can also challenge companies' operating practices, such as product bundling or corporate governance. The remedies available to the government range from stopping certain activities to breaking up companies.The debate about anti-trust laws and their enforcement continues, with some arguing that the laws need to be retooled to rein in platform-based companies. The appointment of Lina Khan as the head of the FTC was seen as a signal of change in focus, but the effects have been modest so far. The government has been more aggressive in challenging high-profile mergers, but the results have been mixed.