On Saturday, I announced that Binary News will have a frequent column responding to editorials by others about trending topics. Today’s piece will be based on an article from The Verge a few days ago about Google’s latest antitrust loss in the United States.
I’ve been developing and managing websites for nearly two decades. When I started out on my journey as a website developer Google was already offering paid ads in search results for six years and had bought out Adsense the company that created a way for website owners to place ads on their website three years earlier. Then in 2007, shortly after I started my journey as a website developer they bought out DoubleClick who had developed another ad technology.
Five years earlier I wrote a research paper, which I was required to write to graduate eighth grade, about the Microsoft Antitrust lawsuit back in the late ’90s. With the knowledge I had from writing that research paper I saw early signs of Google being called out for monopolistic powers. When they released Android and Chrome in the last quarter of 2008 it became more obvious to me that they were eventually going to be fighting the government over being a monopoly.
Now, before we discuss the latest loss to the United States Department of Justice we need to fast forward to August of 2024 when Google lost the search monopoly case. Already discussing remedies with the government in that case the took another major blow last week—this time over how they run their online ad business. A federal judge just ruled last week that Google broke antitrust laws by unfairly dominating the online advertising space. So yeah, two big strikes in less than a year.
This ad tech thing might sound complicated, but here’s the gist: Google runs the tools that help websites sell ad space, and they also run the auction where advertisers bid for that space. So they’re basically the middleman on both sides of the deal. On top of this, thanks to Chrome and their Android OS they as well as their agreement with Apple to make the default search engine used by their Safari web browser be Google. They government said that gave them way too much power—and they used it to squeeze out competition. The judge agreed, saying Google didn’t just win the market, they rigged it.
Google, of course, says that’s not true. They’re appealing the decision and arguing that their ad tools are just really good—not part of some grand scheme. But let’s be real: when you own the platform, the tools, and the market, it’s pretty easy to give yourself an edge. That’s exactly what the DOJ and a bunch of states are saying happened here.
If the ruling sticks, Google will likely be forced to sell off parts of its ad business—like the platform publishers use to manage ad space. That would be a huge shift. It could open the door for more competition, which might mean lower costs for advertisers, better revenue for websites, and maybe fewer creepy targeted ads following us around online. Maybe.
Here’s the thing folks: Regulators are finally cracking down on Big Tech. After years of letting companies like Google, Amazon, Meta, and Apple grow with little pushback, the government’s now looking a lot more serious about keeping them in check. And with new laws like the AMERICA Act in the works, more cases like this are already in progress.
With that… Google’s trying to work something out. They’re in talks with the government about possible fixes to settle both this ad tech case and the search case from last year. Whether that ends with them splitting up parts of their business or just changing how they operate, it’s clear their grip on digital advertising might not stay so tight for much longer.
When you use them the question becomes: Should you root for them or regulators?