The U.S. Department of Justice is calling on Google to sell two of its key advertising technologies in a significant measure aimed at restoring competition within the digital advertising market, according to a new court filing. This action follows a recent court ruling last month, which found Google had unlawfully obtained and maintained monopoly power in the digital advertising sector.
Under the proposed remedy, the DOJ is demanding that Google divest AdX, its well-known advertising exchange platform, alongside a structured, staged sale of DoubleClick for Publishers, Google’s widely used ad-serving tool for website operators. Additionally, the government wants to prohibit Google from operating any ad exchange products for ten years following the completion of the AdX sale.
The DOJ filing alleges that Google has systematically exploited its dominant market position, insisting publishers would face significant financial losses if they didn’t rely on AdX. It further accused the tech giant of entrenching monopolistic control by tightly integrating AdX with DoubleClick for Publishers, effectively compelling websites to utilize Google’s own publisher services.
Moreover, the DOJ proposes that Google expand accessibility to its ad-buying platforms, including AdWords, allowing them to interoperate with all third-party advertising technology companies. This interoperability must occur on non-discriminatory terms regarding ad bidding, matching, placement, or data sharing, unless explicitly directed otherwise by the advertiser.
The filing describes the DOJ’s recommendations as a comprehensive set of remedies essential to dismantling Google’s unlawful monopolies, removing benefits amassed from anti-competitive behavior, revitalizing competition in both ad exchange markets and publisher ad server segments, and proactively safeguarding against similar future misconduct.
Responding to the government’s strict conditions, Alphabet’s vice president of regulatory affairs, Lee-Anne Mulholland, strongly criticized the DOJ’s stance. Mulholland noted that Google’s own remedy proposal fully addresses the court’s liability findings, arguing further divestiture proposals from the DOJ extend beyond the court’s judgment, lack legal basis, and would ultimately harm publishers and advertisers.
Google presented its alternative remedy package, suggesting that it could instead make real-time bidding in AdX accessible to all external ad servers while agreeing to abide by oversight from an independent compliance observer for a three-year period.
Google continues to face increasing antitrust scrutiny on multiple fronts. Beyond ad technology, a separate antitrust push by federal authorities seeks to compel the company to divest its Chrome browser platform after earlier judicial decisions confirmed Google’s monopoly over the online search market.
