The Department of Justice has prevailed over Google for a second time in less than a year, this time in a lawsuit that accused the tech giant of anticompetitive practices in the advertising technology industry.
In her ruling, US District Judge Leonie Brinkema wrote that Google had "willfully engaged in a series of anticompetitive acts" to suppress competition in the online advertising business. According to the BBC, Google's companies dominate all sides of the online advertising market — software for buyers, tools for sellers, and the exchange that matches demand and supply. And as The Verge reported, Google's control over the adtech market meant that unhappy customers were left without any reasonable alternatives.
Brinkema's ruling comes a year after US District Judge Amit Mehta found that Google illegally maintained a monopoly on the search engine market. According to NPR, Google intends to appeal that ruling after the remedies phase of the trial concludes.
But what does this mean for every internet users? If the DOJ gets its way, Google will be forced to divest its web browser Chrome, end exclusivity agreements with phone makers like Samsung, and agree not to pursue similar agreements in the future for its AI products.