Tag: ad tech

US Department of Justice sues Google, seeks to break up its ad tech business

On 24 January 2023, in what Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter described as a “historic moment”, the US Department of Justice (“DoJ”) filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia over Google’s ad tech business (the text of the complaint is available here). The lawsuit, joined … Continue reading US Department of Justice sues Google, seeks to break up its ad tech business →

CRA and Geradin Partners Conference on Ad Tech, Competition Policy and Privacy Issues

Dear blog readers, I would like to invite you to the above event, which will take place on 19 April 2022 in London from 1 to 6pm. It is possible to attend the event either in-person or online. Please see all details and the registration form here. Access to the conference is free. The event … Continue reading CRA and Geradin Partners Conference on Ad Tech, Competition Policy and Privacy Issues →

EU and UK take on ‘Jedi Blue’ – Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer?

A big development in European competition enforcement in digital markets occurred today as both the European Commission and the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced simultaneously that they are investigating the ‘Jedi Blue’ agreement. This is an agreement between Google and Meta (formerly Facebook) that may have targeted a disruptive advertising technology known as … Continue reading EU and UK take on ‘Jedi Blue’ – Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer? →

Google announces Privacy Sandbox on Android

Greetings to our readers – I haven’t published in a while, but Google’s latest announcement could not keep waiting. Google has just announced its plan to build the Privacy Sandbox on Android, with the stated aim of “introducing new, more private advertising solutions.” This comes only a couple of days after the UK Competition and … Continue reading Google announces Privacy Sandbox on Android →

The P2B Regulation is not consigned to oblivion: ACM launches market study, reminding us that transparency in the platform economy is important

The Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) announced a few days ago that it will launch a market study into how platforms deal with the rules laid down in the Platform-to-Business (P2B) Regulation. The P2B Regulation is a regulatory initiative that may not have received the attention it deserves. This could be explained by … Continue reading The P2B Regulation is not consigned to oblivion: ACM launches market study, reminding us that transparency in the platform economy is important →

EU probes Google’s ad tech business

Another day, another antitrust investigation into Google’s ad tech business. This time the probe was launched by the European Commission (the “Commission”), which has already fined Google three times for engaging in anticompetitive conduct. As readers of this blog are probably aware, Google’s practices in ad tech have captured considerable regulatory attention: the French Autorité … Continue reading EU probes Google’s ad tech business →

The CMA-ICO’s joint statement on competition and data protection law– A major step forward

It is often thought that data protection policymakers want your personal data to be held within big firms’ walled gardens and shared with no-one, while competition policymakers want big firms to be broken up and your personal data to be freely distributed among firms. Is that right, and if so, what are we going to do … Continue reading The CMA-ICO’s joint statement on competition and data protection law– A major step forward →

The latest around Google and the Privacy Sandbox

On Monday the US State AGs filed an amended complaint against Google with respect to ad tech, joined by five additional States. (Reminder: the State AGs sued Google in December 2020, arguing that the tech company has engaged in anticompetitive conduct and even entered into an unlawful agreement with Facebook to restrict competition in the … Continue reading The latest around Google and the Privacy Sandbox →

ACCC finds lack of competition in ad tech affects publishers, advertisers, and consumers

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 →

Texas, other US States sue Google for anti-competitive conduct and collusion with Facebook

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 →