The antitrust trial of the United States v. Google, LLC
Google is accused of illegally monopolizing the digital advertising industry where they hold a mob-like control over who gets to earn revenue from ads, often depriving real journalism while allowing disinformation to profit.
Update: Google is declared an Illegal Monopolist in Ad Tech
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia ruled in April 2025 that Google's conduct in monopolizing the publisher ad server and ad exchange markets violated antitrust laws. Google “harmed Google’s publishing customers, the competitive process, and, ultimately, consumers of information on the open web,” according to the Court.
No one company should have this much power
Digital advertising is the business model of the internet. With unchecked power over much of the $700B+ digital ad industry, Google holds the fate of publishers - of journalism - in its hands, giving it control over what we see online.
The case against Google
Through acquisitions and anticompetitive conduct, Google seized sustained control of the full advertising technology ("adtech") stack: the tools advertisers and publishers use to buy and sell ads, and the exchange that connects them. By neutralizing rivals, Google could extract higher fees from advertisers, siphon money from publishers, and build a massive trove of user data to further entrench its power.
