Adtech in 2026: Google Keeps Its Exchange, Meta Changes Its Ads, and Browsers Get an Opt-Out

Online advertising is being reshaped by three kinds of law at the same time. The past year produced a decision under each.

Competition: Google

In April 2025 a US federal court found that Google had illegally monopolised parts of the advertising technology market. On 2 September 2026 the same judge declined to order Google to sell its ad exchange. The full opinion, unsealed on 15 September, imposes conduct remedies instead. A technical monitor will oversee Google for six years. Google’s exchange must bid into rival publisher ad servers on the same terms as into its own, connect to the open-source Prebid system, and share bid data with publishers. Google must also publish how its ad server picks a winning bid. The requirements are reported to apply worldwide, and take effect 60 days after the final judgment is signed. Google is expected to appeal.

In the EU, the Commission fined Google €2.95 billion in September 2025 for favouring its own exchange. It said that conduct remedies might not be enough and that divestiture could be required. Google offered conduct changes rather than a sale. At the last published update we found, the Commission was still assessing them, and the competition commissioner, Teresa Ribera, had said a structural remedy seemed to be needed.

Platform regulation: Meta

The Commission fined Meta €200 million in April 2025 under the Digital Markets Act over its “pay or consent” model. Since January 2026 Meta has offered EU users a third choice: less personalised advertising. Consumer groups say the option is still not presented fairly. The Commission is monitoring.

Privacy: the opt-out moves into the browser

California requires browsers to offer a built-in opt-out signal by January 2027. In the UK, the penalty ceiling for unlawful advertising cookies now matches the UK GDPR. France continues to issue the largest fines.

What this means

For publishers, more pricing freedom and more visibility over bids should follow from the US remedies once they take effect. For advertisers, the pool of users who can be targeted with full personalisation is shrinking in the EU and in California. For both, contracts with adtech vendors need to say who is responsible when a signal is ignored.

The useful question for 2027 planning is how much of your reach still depends on consent you may not have.

This article is general information on the law as at November 2026. It is not legal advice and has not been updated since that date. See the terms of use.