WASHINGTON, April 17 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. federal judge ruled Thursday that Google violated antitrust law by monopolizing the open-web digital advertising markets, marking another major setback for the tech giant in its antitrust litigation.

According to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, the company "harmed Google's publishing customers, the competitive process, and, ultimately, consumers of information on the open web."

"This is a landmark victory in the ongoing fight to stop Google from monopolizing the digital public square," U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement.

Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the Justice Department's Antitrust Division said that Google's unlawful dominance allows them to "censor and even deplatform American voices," noting that "at the same time, Google destroyed and hid information that exposed its illegal conduct."

"Today's opinion confirms Google's controlling hand over online advertising and, increasingly, the internet itself," said the assistant attorney general.

Google has stated that it will appeal the ruling. Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google's vice president for regulatory affairs, argued that publishers have many choices, and they choose Google because its advertising tech tools are simple, affordable, and effective.

This is the second time a U.S. federal court has ruled that Google engaged in illegal monopolistic practices. In August 2024, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in Washington, D.C., ruled that Google had illegally monopolized the online search market. ■