Google Wins Ad-Tech Battle, Must Change Business Practices

The US Justice Department has been trying to break up Google's massive advertising business for years, but a federal judge has rejected their proposal. The judge, Leonie M. Brinkema, ruled that Google can keep its ad-tech business intact, but instead will have to change how it operates to favor competitors.

This decision comes after the Justice Department filed two antitrust lawsuits against Google: one in 2020 focused on the search giant's dominance in search, and another in 2023 targeting its ad-technology business. In both cases, courts sided with the government, determining that Google had abused its monopoly power.

The judge overseeing the ad-tech case, Amit Mehta, previously rejected the Justice Department's proposal to break up Google's Chrome browser and Android operating system. Instead, he ordered Google to end exclusive default-placement deals and share certain search data with competitors.

Google has framed the outcome as a win, with Lee-Anne Mulholland, vice president for regulatory affairs, saying: 'We're very pleased the Court rejected the DOJ's proposal to break apart tools that help small businesses reach new customers and grow.'