A preliminary inquiry by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has found that thousands of UK publishers and advertisers may be suffering as a result of the possibly illegal activity.
It charges Google of using its own technology to prevent competitors from “competing on a level playing field” for the billions of pounds that UK companies spend on online advertising.
Google claimed to be “flawed” in its conclusions and promised a response.
The great majority of companies, according to the CMA, use Google’s services for digital ad placement on websites.
Google says that marketers select Google because of its products and contends that it has a strong commercial motive to support UK businesses.
function effectively and support the expansion of their companies.
Before choosing what to do, the watchdog will now take Google’s arguments into account.
In the event that Google is found to have violated competition laws, the watchdog may fine the company up to 10% of its yearly global group turnover and give it legally enforceable instructions.
