Google Search handles over 8.5 billion queries a day. It holds roughly 90% of the global search market. There is no subscription fee. Instead, advertising pays for everything. Every query you type, every result you click, and the location you search from all feed into an advertising profile tied to your Google account.

That profile follows you across YouTube, Gmail, Maps, Chrome, and Android. Google touches an estimated 92% of internet users through these products. Once you are signed in, avoiding its data collection network takes real effort.

In 2024, a US court found Google guilty of illegally maintaining its search monopoly through exclusive default deals worth billions per year. The judge finalized remedies in December 2025: no more exclusive defaults, and Google must share search data with competitors. The DOJ appealed in February 2026, calling those penalties too soft.

Worth knowing

Google does let you pause search history, wipe past activity, and browse in Incognito mode. These controls are all off by default. And they only limit what gets saved to your account. Google still processes queries on its servers regardless of your settings.

EU-based search engines like Ecosia, Qwant, and Mojeek do not build ad profiles from your searches. They are worth a look if tracking-free search matters to you.