DOJ Seeks Breakup Of Google's Ad Tech Business

In another example of heightened antitrust enforcement by the Department of Justice (DOJ) under the Biden administration, on January 24, 2023, DOJ and eight states filed a civil antitrust lawsuit accusing Google of monopolizing multiple digital advertising technology ("ad tech") products.¹ The lawsuit reflects the continued antitrust focus at both the state and federal levels on Google. The lawsuit follows a similar suit led by the Texas Attorney General, and joined by sixteen other states, alleging that Google monopolized the digital advertising market.² It is also DOJ's second antitrust lawsuit against Google in less than three years, with the earlier suit accusing Google of using its alleged monopoly power to thwart competition in internet search.³ In this newest lawsuit, DOJ claims that Google seized and maintained control of the "ad tech stack"-a group of high-tech tools used by publishers and advertisers to facilitate digital advertising. In relief, DOJ seeks