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US sues Google over dominance of online ad market

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Signage at Google’s office building in New York, New York, USA, 20 January 2023. Justin Lane, EPA/EFE" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/life/01/21/signage-google-epa-1212023.jpg"/><figcaption>Signage at Google’s office building in New York, New York, USA, 20 January 2023. <em>Justin Lane, EPA/EFE</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>WASHINGTON - The US Justice Department sued Google for its dominance of the online advertising market, launching a fresh legal battle against the California-based tech giant.</p><p>The federal antitrust suit accused Google of unlawfully maintaining a monopoly that had &quot;corrupted legitimate competition in the ad tech industry.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Google has used anticompetitive, exclusionary, and unlawful means to eliminate or severely diminish any threat to its dominance over digital advertising technologies,&quot; the suit added. </p><p>The case was launched by the US Justice Department (DOJ) in conjunction with eight states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Virginia.</p><p>Central to the case is Google&#x27;s dominance of the ad tech business, the technology that companies rely on for their online advertising needs.</p><p>The prosecutors said Google &quot;now controls&quot; the crucial sector, meaning website creators earn less and advertisers pay more, all while innovation is choked by the lack of rivals.</p><p>&quot;In pursuit of outsized profits, Google has caused great harm to online publishers and advertisers and American consumers,&quot; said Deputy US Attorney General Lisa Monaco in a statement.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/10/24/22/google-gives-users-more-control-of-online-ads-with-my-ad-center">Google gives users more control of online ads with My Ad Center</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/01/11/23/meta-bans-ads-targeted-at-teens-based-on-gender">Meta bans ads targeted at teens based on gender</a></li></ul><p>The federal case follows state lawsuits against Google that have alleged it illegally dominates the markets for online search, advertising technology and apps on the Android mobile platform.</p><p>Google has denied vehemently it is a monopoly, saying rivals in the online ad market include Amazon, Facebook-owner Meta and Microsoft.</p><p>&quot;Today&#x27;s lawsuit from the DOJ attempts to pick winners and losers in the highly competitive advertising technology sector,&quot; a Google spokesperson said in an email.</p><p>The lawsuit &quot;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,&quot; Google added.</p><p>The Computer &amp; Communications Industry Association, a big tech lobby, said the lawsuit failed to take into account offline rivals that include ads in newspapers and on TV and radio.</p><p>&quot;The government&#x27;s contention that digital ads aren&#x27;t in competition with print, broadcast, and outdoor advertising defies reason,&quot; CCIA said in a statement.</p><p>The United States is home to global tech giants Google, Apple, Amazon and Meta and has largely depended on the courts to curb their power.</p><p>Earlier this month, President Joe Biden urged Republican and Democratic lawmakers to break years of political gridlock and pass laws that would set stricter rules for Big Tech.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/01/21/23/google-cuts-12000-jobs-as-tech-woes-bite-again">Google cuts 12,000 jobs as tech woes bite again</a></li></ul><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1642550" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

The US Justice Department sued Google for its dominance of the online advertising market, launching a fresh legal battle against the California-based tech giant.