Google will not have to sell its AdX advertising exchange after a US judge rejected the Department of Justice’s attempt to break up part of the company’s online advertising business.
Judge Leonie Brinkema instead ordered behavioural changes to Google’s practices, although the details remain sealed while the company and the Justice Department review the decision and propose redactions.
The ruling is expected to be unsealed in 14 days. It means Google will not be required to disclose the auction logic used to determine how digital adverts are placed, which would have formed part of a sale of AdX.
The decision follows a 2025 ruling that found Google had unlawfully protected a monopoly in digital advertising. The latest judgment concerns the remedies to be imposed after that finding.
Although AdX is not the largest part of Google’s advertising operation, its forced sale could have affected the wider business, according to analysis by Ars Technica.
The decision represents a significant victory for Google, which will retain the exchange while facing restrictions intended to address the court’s findings about its conduct in the advertising market.
