The US government is targeting Google's immense wealth engine—its highly profitable advertisement tech business, according to a report by the BBC.
A trial is set to begin today which will hear the Department of Justice's case that Google's search engine's parent company Alphabet illegally operates a monopoly in the market.
Contrary to the claims, Alphabet has argued that the reason for its success was due to the effectiveness of its services. However, the prosecutors have stated that it has used its market monopoly to stifle rivals.
Google reportedly earned more than $200 billion last year through placing and selling of advertisements seen by internet users.
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As per the lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice (DoJ) and a coalition of states in 2023, Google dominated the digital ad marketplace and has leveraged its market power to stifle innovation and competition.
Responding to the lawsuit, Google stated that is just one of the several hundred companies that facilitate the placement of digital ads in front of consumers.
It reportedly cited the increased ad growth and revenue for companies such as Apple, Amazon and TikTok and said that the competition in the digital ad space is growing and not contracting.
It is reported that the cases will be presented before the US District Judge Leonie Brinkema, who is expected to deliver a judgment.
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It is the second major antitrust case that was filed against the tech giant in the US.
The bench trial comes on the heels of a landmark decision last month in a monopoly case brought by the justice department against Google.
Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google acted illegally to squelch competition in its online search business. “Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly,” he wrote as per BBC.
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