Week 1 wasn’t a weak one

We’re a week into the latest US v Google monopoly trial, and it’s definitely a marathon and not a sprint. Judge Leonie M. Brinkema is overseeing this one, and Digiday has a good overview of who she is.

Policy Director Sarah Kay Wiley notes in it that “history shows how she is not easily misled.” Sounds like a good choice for the trial, then.

What’s happened so far:

Day 1: The Department of Justice painted a portrait of Google’s trifecta of monopolies

Day 2: Google’s unfair auction dynamics and conflicts of interest took center stage

Day 3: The judge heard about how Google exploited adserver switching costs to “crush” competitors and impose “debt” on publishers

Day 4: It was revealed that Google figured publishers would “get over their control loss aversion”

Day 5: That’s today! Check out the trial updates section of our site tonight for the latest. And while you’re there, if you want a more detailed weekly update on the trial, written by Arielle, hit “Get updates” and subscribe.

You can also follow Arielle, who’s at the trial every single dingle dang day, on LinkedIn and Threads. (Also thank you to those who prayed for her gains, she’s managed to find a weightlifting strategy while she’s there [deadlifting Google PMs]).

If you’re unfamiliar with the ins and outs of adtech, we’ve made a few videos to make the trial more digestible:

How digital ads work, and Google’s role

What's the buy side of advertising 

What's the sell side of advertising

A Swift reaction to misinformation  

Some surprise news after the debate: Taylor Swift endorsed Kamala Harris. In a caption on Instagram, the singer said that AI-generated images of her endorsing Donald Trump “really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation.

“It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter,” she said. Hopefully, Swift’s vocal concerns will make more people aware of how AI image generation can be used for malicious reasons.

This week alone, we’ve seen it used to make racist memes about Haitian immigrants based on a conspiracy theory.

Nandini: On sabbatical, but still radical 

Nandini popped up on the Life on Mars podcast this week to talk about fighting online scams and ad fraud. Great hearing from you, Nandini!

One final note: I’m off next week. You’ll get a small reminder about the Google trial from me next Friday, but that will be it until I return the week after next. Take care, friends.

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