Things aren’t very good for Google lately. A US federal judge has ruled that Google broke antitrust laws by unfairly dominating the online ad market. It’s a major setback for the tech giant and could change how digital advertising works across the internet. After years of pushback from smaller companies, this decision marks a clear win for the US Department of Justice (DOJ) in its ongoing effort to keep Big Tech in check.
A federal judge says Google broke the antitrust rules in the ad market
As CNN reports, Judge Leonie Brinkema found that Google used anti-competitive tactics to control both sides of the ad tech market. The company ran the tools that helped websites sell ads (publisher ad servers) and the platforms where buyers bid for those ads (ad exchanges). By doing both, Google gave itself a leg up and pushed out the competition.
The judge said Google forced publishers to use its services by tying its ad tools together, which is a violation of antitrust laws. This move shut out rival companies and left publishers with fewer choices and higher costs. And Google’s actions didn’t just hurt competitors. Advertisers, publishers, and even everyday users ended up feeling the heat.
The court dismissed one part of the case related to advertiser tools, but the rest of the claims held firm. Now, the DOJ could ask the court to break up parts of Google’s ad business, including Google Ad Manager. A hearing in the coming months will decide what happens next.
Google isn’t backing down. The company plans to appeal the ruling. “We won half of this case and we will appeal the other half,” said Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google’s VP of Regulatory Affairs, in a statement on X. For now, all eyes are on what the court does next.
Not to forget, Google is in a few other troubles too, such as the DOJ wanting to separate Chrome from Google. Just recently, Japan also ordered Google to stop forcing its search and browser on Android devices.
