Google’s Antitrust Trial Begins: DOJ Targets Google Ad Manager

Google faces another major legal challenge as its antitrust trial over online advertising kicks off today.

As reported by Reuters, The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) alleges that Google has monopolized critical digital advertising technologies, harming both publishers and advertisers by inflating costs and limiting competition.

The DOJ’s case focuses on Google’s control over the technology that connects advertisers with publishers, asserting that the company has maintained its dominance through exclusionary practices that see it manage over 150,000 online ad transactions per second.

The trial is expected to last several weeks, with U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema presiding over the proceedings. Judge Brinkema could consider prosecutors’ request to compel Google to divest at least its Google Ad Manager if Google is found guilty.

This trial builds on the August 6, antitrust ruling by the U.S. DOJ where Google was found guilty of leveraging its search engine dominance to block competitors and prioritize its own services. Google has denied this allegation claiming that its success is a result of its superior online search engine.

Techopedia earlier reported that a U.S. court had ordered regulators to propose penalties for Google’s antitrust practices, particularly focusing on its illegal monopolization of search results.

This ongoing investigation adds to the mounting legal pressures the company faces, including one filed by online review site Yelp on August 29, accusing Google of unfairly boosting its own local business listings at the expense of rivals.

This trial could have sweeping implications for Google, particularly in its advertising business, which funds much of its operations. The case is seen as part of a larger crackdown by U.S. antitrust authorities to rein in Big Tech who have strangled smaller companies through anti-competitive practices.