A blog about competition, regulation and privacy in the digital era
Yesterday Google published a blog post regarding its approach to web tracking once third-party cookies are phased out in Chrome. The post was the talk of the day all over Twitter and the mainstream press, and certain commentators even suggested that Google has pledged to stop selling ads based on individual web browsing (a monumental … Continue reading Unpacking Google’s latest blog post on web tracking
Epic Games' bitter fight with Apple has officially reached the EU. Earlier today Epic Games announced it has filed an antitrust complaint against Apple with DG COMP, arguing the iPhone maker has "completely eliminated competition in app distribution and payment processes." This is the latest development in a now-global dispute between Apple and Epic Games, … Continue reading Epic Games files complaint against Apple with DG COMP
Australia has turned into one of the key regulatory battlefields for Big Tech - see for example the ongoing acrimonious fight over the news media code, with Google and Facebook threatening to pull out of the country if the proposed code enters into force. In the meantime, following up on its Digital Platforms Inquiry (report … Continue reading ACCC finds lack of competition in ad tech affects publishers, advertisers, and consumers
The Competition and Markets Authority has just announced it will investigate Google's decision to remove third-party cookies from its Chrome browser in early 2022 and replace them with a set of proposals known as the Privacy Sandbox (NB: Google has justified this decision on privacy). The investigation - under Chapter II of the Competition Act … Continue reading CMA opens investigation into Google’s Privacy Sandbox browser changes
Last Wednesday, on 16 December 2020, Texas and nine other US States filed an antitrust lawsuit before the District Court for the Eastern District of Texas with respect to Google’s conduct in ad tech (reminder: almost two months earlier the Department of Justice sued Google with respect to its practices in general search; click here … Continue reading Texas, other US States sue Google for anti-competitive conduct and collusion with Facebook
Wednesday December 9th, 2020: the US Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") and 48 US States (led by New York State Attorney General Letitia James) filed antitrust lawsuits against Facebook, arguing the tech giant has unlawfully maintained its monopoly power in the market for "Personal Social Networking" in breach of Section 2 of the Sherman Act (see … Continue reading FTC, US States file antitrust lawsuit against Facebook to challenge its “buy-or-bury”, “open-first, closed-later” strategies
In an earlier post discussing the fate of targeted advertising, I noted that much of the current debate centers around issues of competition and privacy, and the inevitable trade-offs between them. While personalized advertising promises benefits for publishers and advertisers (and in theory users that value relevant ads), it is under increasing pressure from privacy … Continue reading New paper on Chrome and the Privacy Sandbox
In a video for The New York Times, computer scientist and philosopher Jaron Lanier described online advertising as “the little space in the middle” combining capitalism with the “socialist” concept that Internet content should be free. Now a multi-billion-dollar industry, online advertising is what funds free online content. It is also what has elevated Google … Continue reading What should be the fate of targeted advertising?
In an insightful article on AdExchanger, Allison Schiff notes that the ad industry is facing two interrelated "existential threats": government legislation (think of e.g., the GDPR or the CCPA) and policy changes coming from big tech (Google and Apple). But, contrary to what one might initially think, it is the platforms' changes that are the … Continue reading How tech platforms act as private regulators of privacy
Last April Damien and I published a paper titled "The Antitrust Case Against the Apple App Store," where we explored various concerns raised by Apple's App Store practices under Article 102 TFEU. We focused in particular on the obligation of apps offering "digital goods or services" (think e.g., of a game app) to use Apple's … Continue reading New paper on the App Store shows why antitrust intervention is needed
