Google's lucrative ad tech business goes on trial

Regulators have successfully argued Google is too powerful in search - now they are coming for its ad tech.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatchHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS ElectionUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessWomen at the HelmFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersGoogle's lucrative ad tech business goes on trialReutersThe US government is taking aim at the engine of Google's immense wealth - its extremely lucrative ad tech business.

A trial beginning on Monday will hear the Department of Justice's case that the search engine's parent company Alphabet illegally operates a monopoly in the market.

The company earned more than $200 billion (£152bn) last year through the placing and selling of ads seen by internet users.

Alphabet has argued its success is due to the "effectiveness" of its services - but prosecutors say it has used its market dominance to stifle rivals.

“It is a really important industry that grabs billions of consumer dollars every year,” said Laura Phillips-Sawyer, a professor at the University of Georgia School of Law.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckg2dpkpmv1o

---