DOJ preparing to sue Google over alleged ad monopoly: Report

The DOJ has accelerated its advertising marketplace investigation in recent months, and may file a lawsuit as soon as the end of this year, says the source. However, no final decisions have been made.

The advertising investigation was originally launched under then-Attorney General William Barr, but the department ultimately chose to focus on search, charging Google with dominating that business through “an unlawful web of exclusionary and interlocking business agreements."

That lawsuit, filed in October 2020 and joined by 11 states, focuses on Google's agreements with Apple, telecommunications companies and electronics makers to make its search engine the default for mobile devices. The DOJ argues that these arrangements give Google an unfair advantage over rivals and limit choices for consumers.