The Center for Journalism & Liberty at Open Markets Weighs in on Closing Arguments in the Google Digital Advertising (AdTech) Monopoly Trial
WASHINGTON - Center for Journalism & Liberty (CJL) at the Open Markets Institute Director Dr. Courtney Radsch shared the following statement in response to closing arguments today in the U.S. Department of Justice’s case against Google for monopolizing several technology products central to digital advertising.
“The Google ad tech trial wrapped up today with a simple but strong position from the DOJ: Google is a defendant in this case because it abused its power and engaged in illegal conduct in the market that connects publishers with advertisers. This allowed Google to monopolize adtech in violation of antitrust law, not just because it is big or successful, as the corporation argued.”
“This trial is not about just a few grievances from a handful of publishers, or publishers not making ‘enough efforts’ to finance their endeavors, as Google argued disingenuously. This case is about enabling fair competition that gives real choice to publishers and advertisers, which ultimately spurs innovation and leaves room for business models that can support a free press.”
“Neither Google nor any one private actor should have the power to manipulate the financial viability of the open web, and by extension, to shape the future digital journalism and the entire information ecosystem.”
CJL Senior Reporter Karina Montoya was in the courtroom providing full coverage of both the adtech trial here and the search trial given the historic significance of these antitrust suits.
Last week, Dr. Radsch praised the DOJ’s robust set of proposals for remedying Google’s monopoly over online search, including by forcing the tech giant to divest its Chrome browser, among other measures. She has written and spoken extensively on how dominant technology platforms stand between journalists and citizens and examined regulatory measures to help correct these problems and preserve sources of reliable information online –particularly given the growth of AI.
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