World

EU Regulators Launch New Antitrust Probe Into Google

The fresh probe aims to establish whether the tech giant is violating competition rules in digital advertising technology. Earlier, a series of antitrust probes were opened in Europe against Apple, Amazon, and Facebook.
Sputnik

The European Union's Executive Commission has launched a new probe to investigate Google's compliance with the bloc's antitrust regulations. The company is suspected of promoting its ad services at the expense of other advertisers.

The new inquiry specifically wants to examine if the tech juggernaut has been stifling competition in digital advertising by denying third parties full access to user data.

"We are concerned that Google has made it harder for rival online advertising services to compete in the so-called ad tech stack", European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement.

Vestager added that Google's policies on user tracking will also be scrutinised.

A spokesperson for Google promised the company would cooperate with the commission in good faith.

"Thousands of European businesses use our advertising products to reach new customers and fund their websites every single day. They choose them because they're competitive and effective", a representative for the company said.

Regulators across the bloc's nations have initiated a series of antitrust probes against tech giants over the past several years.

The latest bid to assure Google's compliance with the law comes just a day after Germany's antitrust authorities launched a probe into Apple's market dominance.

Discuss