UK monopoly watchdog investigates Google's online advertising business

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority is lining up yet another investigation into Google over its dominance of the digital advertising market. This latest inquiry, announced Thursday, is the second major UK antitrust investigation into Google this year alone. In March this year the UK, together with the European Union, …

[Pseu Donyme]

What on-line advertising really needs is banning except maybe when it is strictly opt-in: the user should be the customer, not the product. Advertising doesn't even really pay for any services as the cost of it ends up in the price of the products and services we pay for. With the current arrangement we not only ultimately pay in those higher prices, but also pay with a loss of privacy (which is the result of the snooping needed for targeted advertising), not to mention having to endure commercial propaganda (i.e. advertising), being manipulated, misled and misinformed by it. The sane way is paying for the services we use directly, cutting out a bunch of middlemen and restoring a market with competition to the services 'paid' for by advertising - any other claim is just meta-advertising.

[Pascal Monett]

We're worried

"We're worried that Google may be using its position in ad tech to favour its own services to the detriment of its rivals, of its customers and ultimately of consumers"

Oh, so you're worried ? Well it's about bloody time. If Alphabet is today's 4th ranking company by value, it's not because it's been playing fair. Google has always played fast and loose with the rules, because it's Google that has made the rules. And now you're worried that Google might not have have established a fair and level playing field when there is nothing in the law that has given it the slightest incentive to do so ?

Duh.

Private companies do not government policy make.

[VoiceOfTruth]

The CMA

Another bunch of chair polishers.

[Anonymous Coward]

How much are the Tories in Government

going to demand to be Bunged by Google to make this 'go away' ?

[or other payment in kind]

[John Brown (no body)]

Re: How much are the Tories in Government

Maybe the current Deputy PM will be made President for Global Affairs at MetaAlphabet Platforms.

[Dan 55]

"Another probe? Mountain View is starting to look like a pincushion at this rate"

With the possible fines being mere pinpricks in comparison to the profit Alphabet makes every second.

In the accounts department it's written off as "the cost of doing business".

[Doctor Syntax]

Re: "Another probe? Mountain View is starting to look like a pincushion at this rate"

In the accounts department it's written off as "the cost of doing business".

I don't think fines can be written off as a cost of doing business before tax. OTOH these cases seem to be civil cases and settlements are paid. They may be treated differently to fines.

[Doctor Syntax]

"because millions of people across the UK use websites that rely on advertising revenue to offer high quality, free content."

More millions also use websites that rely on advertising revenue just for income but without the high quality aspect of the content. The content which they leave to the users to provide.

[John Brown (no body)]

I wonder how much total content El Reg publishes compared to the user generated contents we commentards provide?

[Doctor Syntax]

But it's high quality. Mostly.

[IGotOut]

Remember...

.... when they approved the DoubleClick takeover?

Yup only the authorities didn't see this coming.