Topline
The European Publishers Council—a trade body representing multiple news publishers—filed a complaint with the European Union against Google for its alleged anti-competitive online advertising practices, a move that comes amid an EU-wide investigation into the tech giant’s digital advertising business.
The complaint by publishers comes amidst and investigation into Google’s advertising business by EU … [+]
Key Facts
In a statement, the publisher trade group accuses Google of using a “barrage of unlawful tactics to foreclose competition” in the advertising tech business since its 2008 acquisition of online ad platform DoubleClick.
The statement added that Google now boasts market shares “ as high as 90-100%” in certain segments of the ad tech business.
The European Publishers Council (EPC) accused Google of taking advantage of its dominance to prioritize its own self-interests over that of its customers.
The publisher group urged the European Commission—the EU’s executive branch—to hold Google accountable and undertake measures to restore effective competition in the ad tech business.
Members of the EPC include Axel Springer, News UK (publisher of the Times and the Sun), Conde Nast, Prensa Ibérica and the Guardian, among others.
Crucial Quote
“Competition authorities across the world have found that Google has restricted competition in ad tech, yet Google has been able to get away with minor commitments…This cannot go on. The stakes are too high, particularly for the future viability of funding a free and pluralistic press,” EPC Chairman Christian Van Thillo said.
Big Number
€8.23 billion or $9.37 billion. That’s the total amount of the fines that Google has faced for its anti-competitive practices in Europe since 2018.
Key Background
Last year, the European Union opened a formal antitrust probe into Google to check if the company violated the bloc’s competition rules by favoring its own online advertising technology over competing providers. The investigation, which is yet to be completed, is examining whether Google is distorting competition by restricting third parties from accessing user data for advertising purposes while using such data for its own service. The probe is being led by the bloc’s antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager who has noted that she will also look into Google’s policies on user tracking to make sure they are in line with fair competition. In the U.S., the Department of Justice (DOJ) is also examining Google’s advertising business which may lead to a separate antitrust case against the company.
Further Reading
Google’s advertising tech targeted in European publishers’ complaint (Reuters)
EU Opens Antitrust Probe Into Google’s Online Ad Tech Business (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2022/02/11/publisher-trade-body-files-eu-antitrust-complaint-against-googles-advertising-business/