Google's advertising business has been criticised by advertisers and website publishers for a lack of transparency, with both accusing Google of siphoning off too much revenue.

The case is the second federal lawsuit against Google over alleged antitrust violations and the first since US President Joe Biden took office two years ago.

This is a sharp increase from just over 90,000 in the same period last year.

The company's deep knowledge about its users' interests is prized by advertisers looking to reach a certain audience – and is an engine of its multi-billion dollar ad business – but could be used to influence or exclude groups.