The European Commission has started an investigation into Google and Meta Facebook’s parent company for alleged breaches of EU competition rules over an advertising deal.
The agreement may have excluded rivals to Google in the online display advertising market, European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said.
“If confirmed by our investigation, this would restrict and distort competition in the already concentrated ad tech market,’’ Vestager said in a statement.’
The investigation focuses on a September 2018 agreement between Meta and Google dubbed “Jedi Blue’’ for the use of the internet search company’s auction service to purchase online advertising spaces.
The EU’s top competition watchdog is concerned the agreement potentially resulted in the exclusion of Google’s competitors in the sale of online advertising spaces.
Britain’s regulator, the Competition Market Authority (CMA), has already opened an investigation into the deal.
The commission is to cooperate closely with the British regulator, the statement said. (dpa/NAN)
