The Biden Administration has taken aim at Google's far-reaching online advertising business. In a new antitrust lawsuit the Justice Department and eight states have filed against the tech titan, Google is accused of corrupting "legitimate competition in the ad tech industry by engaging in a systematic campaign to seize control of the wide swath of high-tech tools used by publishers, advertisers, and brokers, to facilitate digital advertising." In doing so, Google is knowingly engaging in anti-competitive behavior and " unlawful means to eliminate or severely diminish" present or future rivals.

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‍In a response to the suit, Dan Taylor, Google's Vice President of Global Ads, wrote that "DOJ is doubling down on a flawed argument that would slow innovation, raise advertising fees and make it harder for thousands of small businesses and publishers to grow." He added that "we will vigorously contest attempts to break tools that are working for publishers, advertisers, and people across America."

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Second Pass

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While this is the Biden Administration's first suit against Google, it is the second antitrust case against brought against the tech giant since 2020, reports the New York Times. That suit alleged "Google [had] used anticompetitive tactics to maintain and extend its monopolies in the markets for general search services, search advertising and general search text advertising — the cornerstones of its empire.”

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The Verdict

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Going after Big Tech seems to be one of the only bipartisan issues left in the country. That being said, for a handful of companies to control so much of our lives and so much of the economy makes it clear that the government had to step in at some point.

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