Judge Spares Google Breakup Over Monopolistic Ad Business
A federal judge has ordered Google to retool its digital ads business, but spared it from a breakup. The decision comes after a trial that began in 2023 and resulted in an illegal monopoly judgment last year. U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema agreed to most of the remedies suggested by both sides.
The changes are aimed at addressing anti-competitive practices in Google's ad tech business, which handles 55 million requests per second. The technology underlying advertising exchange is a complex network that distributes ads for online publishers, helping finance digital services used by millions of consumers.
Critics of Big Tech condemned the ruling, calling it 'an Olympic level of mental gymnastics' to find an illegal monopoly and then do nothing about it. Google's vice president for regulatory affairs said the company is pleased the court rejected the DOJ's proposal to break apart tools that help small businesses reach new customers.