Just months after a federal court in Washington ruled that Google violated antitrust laws by monopolizing digital advertising technologies, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) secured yet another legal victory. A Virginia judge recently backed the DOJ’s claim that Google’s ad tech practices harmed fair market competition, dealing the tech giant a second significant blow in less than a year.
The court concluded that Google’s practices—including leveraging its dominance in ad buying tools and publisher ad servers—have stifled competition, hurt publishers, and inflated advertising costs. The DOJ is now pushing for remedies that could include the divestiture of key Google ad tech assets, a move that could dramatically alter the landscape of online advertising.
As Google reels from back-to-back legal defeats, Meta is entering the eye of its own legal storm.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), led by Chair Lina Khan, is proceeding with its aggressive antitrust case against Meta, challenging its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp. The FTC alleges that these takeovers were designed to eliminate future competition, cornering the social media market and suppressing innovation.
The Meta case, now entering trial, could prove to be a watershed moment for the regulatory agency. If the court rules in the FTC’s favor, Meta could be forced to unwind the two multi-billion-dollar acquisitions—effectively spinning off two of the most popular apps in the world.
“This is not just about tech companies—it’s about restoring competition and breaking monopolistic strongholds,” Khan said at a recent forum on digital regulation. “We’re in a generational fight to protect markets and ensure innovation thrives.”
Experts say the dual offensive signals a reinvigorated antitrust strategy in the U.S., echoing the breakup of AT&T in the 1980s and the long battle with Microsoft in the 1990s. The Biden administration has given both the DOJ and FTC unprecedented latitude and resources to pursue antitrust enforcement across sectors, but especially in tech—where a few platforms have consolidated outsized control over data, communication, and commerce.
Amazon and Apple are also reportedly in regulators’ crosshairs, with ongoing investigations into app store policies, e-commerce pricing, and self-preferencing practices.
