The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a plan in court to break up Google's lucrative ad tech business, citing the company's "decade-long campaign of exclusionary conduct" that violates antitrust law. The proposal aims to address the tech giant's legally declared ad-tech monopoly by forcing Google to sell two major pieces of its business: its Ad Exchange (AdX) and its ad management platform DoubleClick for Publishers (DFP), now called Google Ad Manager.

The DOJ's plan comes after a judge declared Google's ad-tech practices unlawful, citing the company's use of its dominant position to stifle competition. The proposed remedies would require Google to sell AdX "as soon as possible" and prevent the company from operating an ad exchange for 10 years. Additionally, the DOJ suggests a "phased" divestiture of Ad Manager/DFP, which would involve creating an API to integrate with other ad exchanges, providing an export feature for publishers, and releasing the code used for final ad auctions under an open-source license.

Google, which plans to appeal the original verdict, has filed its own proposal to address the court's concerns. The company argues that it shouldn't be forced to sell AdX or DFP, as it fairly acquired these businesses without unlawful intent. Google claims that divestiture would require the creation of new versions of AdX and DFP that work outside Google, a process it estimates would take at least five years and harm customers in the meantime.

Instead, Google proposes to make targeted changes to its business practices, including making real-time bids from AdX available to rival ad servers, removing policies that prevent bids from being shared with competitors, and deprecating unified pricing rules (UPR) that the DOJ claims were used to unfairly gain control in the ad tech market. Google would also promise not to rebuild the First Look and Last Look tools, which gave Google a leg up in ad auctions and were discontinued in 2019.

The DOJ's proposal is the latest development in the ongoing antitrust battle between the US government and Google. The tech giant is under mounting pressure, with the DOJ currently seeking to make Google sell Chrome as part of a separate antitrust case that saw Google search ruled a monopoly. If successful, the DOJ's proposals could significantly alter the landscape of the digital advertising industry and have far-reaching implications for Google's business model.

Industry experts are closely watching the developments, as the outcome could have significant implications for the future of digital advertising and the tech industry as a whole. The DOJ's efforts to break up Google's ad tech empire could pave the way for increased competition and innovation in the market, but it could also have unintended consequences for consumers and businesses that rely on Google's services.

As the legal battle continues, one thing is clear: the stakes are high, and the outcome will have a profound impact on the tech industry and beyond. The DOJ's proposal is a significant step towards addressing antitrust concerns, but it remains to be seen whether Google will ultimately be forced to break up its ad tech empire.