Google's Antitrust Fines Don't Fix Monopolies

The US Department of Justice has won two landmark antitrust cases against Google, but the remedies have been lenient. In both cases, judges ruled that Google maintained its monopolies in search and digital advertising tools through improper methods.

In the first case, Judge Amit Mehta found that Google paid billions to Apple, Samsung, Verizon, and other partners each year to pre-install Google search products on their devices. This ensured that competitors like Bing and DuckDuckGo remained marginal players.

In the second case, Judge Leonie Brinkema called Google's bundling of its ad exchange AdX with digital advertising tool DFP 'coercive'. Google bullied publishers into using DFP by offering access to AdX, which connected them with top advertisers like Coca-Cola and Nike.

Despite being found guilty of breaking federal antitrust law in both cases, judges declined to strip Google of its unfair advantages. They refused to break up the company or divest its illicit economic weapons, allowing it to maintain a lucrative chokepoint over online advertising.