Google Ordered to Ease Ad Auction Rules Amid Antitrust Concerns
A US federal judge has ordered Google to relax certain rules governing online digital advertising auctions and appoint an internal antitrust compliance monitor. The ruling, released on September 16, 2026, follows a case in which the court previously found that Google unlawfully maintained a monopoly in part of the online advertising technology market.
According to the 106-page ruling issued by the court in Alexandria, Virginia, the proposed restrictions will open the ad tech industry to competition and prevent Google from returning to anticompetitive practices. The measures include allowing other publisher servers access to real-time bids from Google's AdX platform, preventing Google from requiring websites that use its ad server to also use AdX, and prohibiting practices that effectively leave publishers tied to Google's advertising technology.
Google disagreed with the court's findings concerning the Google Ad Manager advertising tool and will appeal the ruling. The company argued that forcing it to sell part of the business could make it more difficult for small businesses to reach customers. U.S. Deputy Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. called the ruling 'a significant victory' in the Justice Department's efforts to protect and restore competition.
The new rules will remain in effect for six years, significantly less than the 15-year term sought by the federal government and the states that joined the lawsuit. According to an estimate cited in the ruling, global digital advertising spending could rise to $605 billion in 2027, up from $424 billion in 2023.