Google Spared Breakup in Digital Ads Ruling
A federal judge in Virginia has ordered Google to retool its digital advertising system, but declined to break up the company as requested by the US government.
The decision by U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema comes after a year-long legal battle over allegations of anti-competitive practices by Google's parent company Alphabet Inc., which has a market value of $4.11 trillion.
Google's vice president for regulatory affairs, Lee-Anne Mulholland, said the company is 'very pleased' with the ruling and that it will allow small businesses to continue using its tools to reach new customers and grow their online presence.
Critics of Big Tech condemned the ruling, calling it a 'wrong message at the wrong time' for innovation and competition in the industry. The Justice Department had argued that Google's control over ad technology would enable it to manipulate algorithms and maintain its monopoly status.