In a recent court case, Google faced scrutiny over its advertising practices, leading to an unexpected admission.

“The open web is already in rapid decline,” stated Google, as part of its defense against accusations concerning its monopoly in the ad tech space. Translation: Google acknowledged that the overall health of the open web is deteriorating.

This revelation came as the U.S. Department of Justice recommended breaking up Google’s advertising business, framing the move as a necessity to protect the integrity of the open web. However, Google argued that this suggestion would further damage publishers reliant on open-web advertising revenues.

The argument highlights the tension between Google’s growing dominance in non-open display ad formats and the traditional open web, raising questions about the future trajectory of media and information distribution online.