Google, Meta, Apple Under Pressure As US Regulators Move To Rein In Big Tech

A judge in the US has ruled that Google broke antitrust laws in the digital ad space by unfairly using its power to stay on top in the areas of publisher ad servers and ad exchanges, Reuters reported. These systems let websites sell ads, which is how most online platforms make money.

Google made it harder for others to compete, hurting publishers, the ad industry and average net users, the judge said.

As reported by Reuters, the judge ruled that the exclusionary conduct deprived rivals of the ability to compete, and besides that, it substantially harmed Google's publisher customers and consumers of information on the open web.

Google was cleared in one area—advertiser ad networks—but the ruling may still lead to major changes. Experts believe this could even result in parts of Google’s ad business being broken up.

Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp's parent company, Meta, are also in court. Meta bought Instagram and WhatsApp in order to kill competition, according to the US Federal Trade Commission. Internal emails from 2012, shown in court, suggest Meta agreed to the deal to stop Instagram from becoming a rival.

Mark Zuckerberg, Meta's chief executive officer, told the court that the deals were made to improve products and help users connect. 

Apple is also being sued. The US Department of Justice and several states said they sued the company in March 2024, accusing it of blocking fair competition on iPhones. Apple said the claims were false and is seeking to get the case tossed. 

Amazon, too, is under legal pressure. According to the FTC’s 2023 lawsuit, Amazon uses unfair methods in its online marketplace. A trial is set for 2026.

The anti-trust cases indicate American regulators are determined to hold Big Tech accountable.