Google misled publishers and advertisers, states' lawsuit alleges
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Google (GOOG, GOOGL) misled publishers and advertisers about the inner workings of its ad auctions, according to newly unredacted allegations in a December 2020 lawsuit brought against the tech giant by state attorneys general.

That boosted prices for buyers and deflated sales for companies, while Google pocketed the difference, according to what's now been revealed in the complaint.
That includes internal correspondence where some Google employees compared the practice to growing the business through "insider information," the WSJ notes.
Google owner Alphabet's stock is shedding some morning gains, now: GOOG flat, GOOGL
+0.2%.
Google maintains the lawsuit is "full of inaccuracies and lacks legal merit" and says it intends to file a motion to dismiss it next week.
The suit (from more than a dozen states, led by Texas) charges Google with inflating ad costs through its practices - costs that brands pass on to consumers through higher-priced products - and suppressing competition from rival exchanges and limiting options for ad delivery.
The case is separate from a search-focused antitrust case pursued by the U.S. Justice Dept. and more than three dozen states.