Google Spared Breakup but Must Retool Digital Ads Business

A federal judge in Virginia has ruled that Google must retool its digital ads business but will not be forced to break it up, as sought by the U.S. government.

The decision by Judge Leonie Brinkema marks the second time this year that Google has received a reprieve from a Justice Department proposal to dismantle its internet empire.

Google's corporate parent, Alphabet Inc., has a market value of $4.11 trillion and has been enriched by what courts have described as anti-competitive practices in digital advertising.

The changes ordered by the judge will require Google to rework the system powering its monopoly in digital advertising, but do not go as far as the Justice Department had proposed.