Google is once again facing the possibility of a forced breakup as closely-watched hearings on how to tackle its monopoly over digital advertising technology kicked off in Virginia federal court on Monday.

Justice Department attorney Julia Tarver Wood slammed Google’s proposal for a lighter penalty – comparing it to “[putting] a band-aid on a seriously severed limb” – and said a forced divestiture of its key ad exchange, AdX, was needed to restore fair competition and protect news publishers and advertisers that rely on the system.

“The means to cheat are buried in computer codes and algorithms,” said Wood, who also referred to Google as a “recidivist monopolist” during her opening statement.

US District Judge Leonie Brinkema will preside over two weeks of hearings. In April, she ruled

See Full Page