The EU has opened a sweeping new antitrust investigation into Google, looking into whether the tech giant unfairly stifled competition in online advertising. Margrethe Vestager, the EU's digital competition enforcer, has announced a sweeping new probe into Google's online advertising businessA similar case is also ongoing in the US after states led by Texas filed a class action lawsuit alleging that Google conspired with Facebook to establish what amounted to an online advertising monopoly. Speaking today, Ms Vestager said: Online advertising services are at the heart of how Google and publishers monetise their online services. 'Google collects data to be used for targeted advertising purposes, it sells advertising space and also acts as an online advertising intermediary. 'We are concerned that Google has made it harder for rival online advertising services to compete in the so-called ad tech stack.

Source: The Nation June 22, 2021 13:07 UTC