The
European Commission
announced this Friday the opening of an
investigation into Google and Meta
for possible
"anti-competitive practices in online advertising"
.
Brussels, which has already investigated both for different reasons, suspects that the agreement signed in 2018 between the two Americans known as
'Jedi Blue'
could be irregular and harmful to users, and considering that there is enough evidence, it has decided to process the proceedings.
"Many companies rely on online advertising to decide on financing digital content for consumers. Through the so-called "Jedi Blue" agreement between Google and Meta, [we believe that]
a technology that competes with Google's Open Bidding may have been attacked with the aim of weakening it and excluding it from the market
to display ads on websites and apps. If confirmed by our research, this would restrict and distort competition in the already concentrated ad technology market, to the detriment of rival ad serving technologies, publishers and, ultimately, consumers," said Community Competition
Manager Margrethe Vestager.
Google and Meta work together in this sector.
The first provides the necessary technological services to mediate between advertisers and publishers in real time by auctioning 'holes' in web pages or applications.
Not only, but also through its Open Bidding Programma service.
For its part, Meta (Facebook) offers online advertising services, and through its Meta Audience Network "participates in auctions for third parties", using both Google technology and others.
"The Commission's investigation focuses on a
September 2018 agreement,
dubbed "Jedi Blue," between Google and Meta for Meta's Audience Network's participation in Google's Open Bidding programme.
The Commission is concerned that the agreement may be part of efforts to exclude ad technology services that compete
with Google's Open Bidding program and thereby
restrict or distort competition
in online display advertising markets, to the detriment of publishers and ultimately instance, of consumers," says the statement issued today by Brussels.
The opening of this file, emphasizes the Vestager team, does not prejudge any result.
There are times when there is initial evidence but the investigation does not lead to fines, sanctions or instructions
on the business model.
But in most cases, if Competition decides to launch a formal investigation, it is because it has abundant support.
In this case, after a complaint made more than three years ago by an involved party.
In addition,
the CMA, the British competition authority, is investigating this same agreement between the two digital giants
, and Brussels is collaborating with London.
The process can take years.
At the earliest, several months before a hypothetical statement of objections, because now information is officially requested from the companies, documentation, their explanations.
As well as that of other market players with relevant experience, especially the allegedly harmed customers.
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