Google and US government battle over the future of internet advertising

Core Viewpoint - Google is facing a legal challenge from the U.S. government regarding its digital advertising practices, with a judge set to determine how to address its alleged monopoly status in federal court [1][3]. Group 1: Legal Proceedings - The trial in Alexandria, Virginia, involves closing arguments from both Google and the U.S. Department of Justice, focusing on the technology that distributes millions of digital ads daily [2]. - U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema previously ruled that parts of Google's ad technology constituted an illegal monopoly, leading to a subsequent trial to explore remedies for these anti-competitive practices [3][4]. - The Justice Department is advocating for Google to divest some of its ad technology, arguing that a breakup is necessary to control the company, which they label as a "recidivist monopolist" [4]. Group 2: Market Impact - Despite ongoing legal challenges, Google's parent company Alphabet has seen its market value increase by approximately $950 billion, or 37%, reaching nearly $3.5 trillion since a favorable ruling in a separate search monopoly case [6]. - The Justice Department continues to push for a breakup of Google's ad tech system, which processes an estimated 55 million requests per second, highlighting the complexity and scale of Google's advertising operations [7].