Google Keeps Its Ad Exchange but Must Follow Strict New Rules
A newly unsealed ruling spells out what Google must change in its ad business, with an outside monitor watching for six years.
A federal court has unsealed the full ruling on what Google must change in its advertising business. The case was brought by the US Justice Department, and Judge Leonie Brinkema had already found that Google broke the law in the online ad market.
Google Keeps AdX
Earlier in September, the judge said Google would not be forced to sell AdX, its ad exchange. She also turned down a request to make the auction code inside Google's DFP ad server fully open to the public.
What Google Must Do Instead
The full ruling lays out a set of rules Google must follow:
- Connect AdX and DFP with Prebid, a free tool many publishers use to run ad auctions.
- Send AdX bids to rival ad servers on the same terms DFP gets.
- Share data on winning and losing bids with publishers.
- Explain in writing how DFP's auctions work.
- Stop letting Google's own ad buying tools bid directly into DFP or get special treatment.
Six Years of Oversight
A technical monitor will check that Google follows the rules for six years. The Justice Department had asked for 15. The rules apply worldwide and must be in place within 60 days of the final order. Both sides were told to file their proposed final judgments by October 2.
Why It Matters
Google's ad tools sit behind a huge share of the ads on news sites, blogs and other free websites. The goal of these rules is to give publishers and rival ad companies a fairer shot. If it works, websites may keep more of the money their ads earn, which helps keep free content free.
Questions Readers Ask
Does this ruling affect regular web users?
Not directly. It changes how ads are bought and sold behind the scenes. Over time, that could change how much free websites earn from ads.
What happens next?
Both sides were told to file proposed final judgments by October 2. The rules take effect within 60 days of the final order.
Where This Came From
We confirmed the facts in this story against these reports. The words above are our own.
