UK's Digital Regulator Launches Probe Into Google's Unfair Competitive Policy

UK's Digital Regulator Launches Probe Into Google's Unfair Competitive Policy

The UK Competition and Markets Authority has launched an investigation into Google for unfair competition policy in the digital advertising technology market, the authority said on Thursday

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th May, 2022) The UK Competition and Markets Authority has launched an investigation into Google for unfair competition policy in the digital advertising technology market, the authority said on Thursday.

"Google has strong positions at various levels of the ad tech stack, charging fees to both publishers and advertisers. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is examining 3 key parts of this chain (demand-side platforms, ad exchanges, publisher ad servers) in each of which Google owns the largest service provider," the authority said in a press statement.

The ad tech stack is a complex set of services that make it easier to sell space for online advertising between content providers and advertisers. The CMA is assessing whether Google limited the compatibility of its ad exchange with third-party servers or tied these services together on an agreed basis, making it more difficult for rival ad servers to compete, the statement read.

On May 10, Queen Elizabeth II outlined a draft law on digital competition, granting the CMA's Digital Markets Unit more powers to regulate large digital companies, and also giving the authority a right to intervene in digital markets to tackle limited competition, with big fines issued in the event of non-compliance.