Google’s Millisecond Ad Auctions Focus Of Monopoly Claim

September 14, 2024 4:32 am

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — An ongoing trial may determine whether Google holds an illegal monopoly on the technology used to buy and sell certain types of advertising on web pages. Testimony at the trial in Virginia is taking a deep dive into the ways advertisers and online publishers buy and sell ad space that ultimately gets placed in front of consumers. The auctions over these ad impressions occur in milliseconds and are designed to match an advertiser’s product or service with consumers whose profiles demonstrate an interest. But the Justice Department contends that Google essentially rigged the bidding in those auctions to favor its own products. Google says it no longer auctions off ad space in the ways alleged.