The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has stated that it will join eight other states in suing Google for civil antitrust violations stemming from its purported monopoly on digital advertising. According to the complaint, Google has been engaged in anticompetitive activities for years, including acquiring competitors’ digital ad tech, forcing publishers to use its tools, distorting auction competition by restricting real-time bidding on publisher shares, and manipulating auction mechanics.
Google violated Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act, which deals with contracts in restriction of commerce and monopolisation, according to the DOJ and the Attorneys General of California, Colorado, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Virginia.
