Google operates illegal ad monopolies that ‘substantially harmed’ customers, judge rules

Source: New York Post

Google operates illegal monopolies over two separate markets related to digital advertising technology, a federal judge ruled on Thursday – dealing the Big Tech giant another historic antitrust loss that could result in a breakup of its online empire. The bombshell ruling by US District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Virginia federal court determined that Google violated the Sherman Act by dominating the online publisher ad server market and the ad-exchange market that connects ad buyers to sellers. “Google further entrenched its monopoly power by imposing anticompetitive practices on its customers and eliminating desirable product features,” Brinkema wrote.