In a major blow to Google, a US federal judge ruled on Thursday that the tech giant illegally maintained a monopoly in online advertising technology, deepening the company’s legal troubles and potentially paving the way for a significant restructuring.
Judge Leonie Brinkema of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia said Google broke the law to cement its dominance in the complex ecosystem that powers digital ad placements across the internet. The decision comes in response to a lawsuit filed by the Justice Department and a coalition of US states, who argued that Google’s control over ad tech allowed it to inflate prices and take a larger cut from each transaction.
This ruling follows another federal court’s decision in August that found Google monopolized online search, further intensifying scrutiny over the company’s central role in how information is accessed online.
With both rulings in hand, US courts now have the power to impose significant remedies. In the ad tech case, the Justice Department has already requested that Google divest portions of its advertising business acquired over the years.
Judge Brinkema is expected to weigh in on potential measures in the coming months.
