Judge Lets Google Off the Hook on Ad Tech Monopoly Charges
A federal judge has ruled that Google does not need to break up its advertising technology business after it was found to be a monopoly.
The U.S. Department of Justice sued Google in 2023 under President Joe Biden's tenure, arguing that the company controlled the tech used by every major website publisher to offer ad space, as well as the tool used by advertisers to buy that ad space and the ad exchange that matches publishers to advertisers when that ad space is sold.
Google was found to have engaged in monopolistic behavior in its advertising business, but Judge Leonie M. Brinkema has ordered the company to make changes without specifying what those changes might be.
The full ruling has been sealed temporarily to give Google time to redact sensitive business information, according to the Wall Street Journal.