UK competition bods to stick probe into worrying lack of said competition in online advertising

The UK's competition watchdog has launched an investigation into online advertising – and Facebook and Google are in its sights. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will probe whether the major online platforms that serve digital ads are "adverse to the interests of consumers". It will look at things like the extent …

[Anonymous Coward]

Lack of competition?

I wonder why?

Oh wait, it is only Google and FartBook that has all that lovely data on each and every one of us.

I'd like to propose a campaign there every El Reg reader and as many others as possible ask for their data to be deleted and when they can't (or more likely won't) delete it that they all get reported for GDPR violation. As each one is a separate case they will soon start to get hit with lots of fines.

Get even 5% of the UK population to get their data deleted will hit them hard.

Of just close them down tomorrow. The world will be a better place if they didn't exist.

[Red Ted]

Re: Lack of competition?

I’d love FB and G to delete all the data they have on me, and I’m sure it’s a lot, but as I don’t have accounts with either of them, that could be tricky.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: as I don’t have accounts with either of them,

Yeah. And so the mere act of asking them "please delete my data" ... just gives them one more piece of data: your name.

[DCdave]

Re: as I don’t have accounts with either of them,

I'm sure they wouldn't be satisfied with just that. After all, you could be someone else. Please submit all of your data, for the purposes of checking it's you.

[Tom Chiverton 1]

Re: Lack of competition?

They may have a shadow account for you

[SImon Hobson]

Re: Lack of competition?

LMFTFY

They DO have a shadow account for you I know for a fact that "friends" and family have given them information about me (and even more information about themselves), and don't see what the problem is.

Unfortunately, we can't take the icon to their data centres :-(

[Remy Redert]

Re: Lack of competition?

That makes it even better. Ask them to report all the data they have on you, then demand they delete it and sue them for having it in the first place, you never agreed to let them collect it.

[Anonymous Coward]

Need those campaign donations...

[Drew Scriver]

Ads that support the interests of consumers?!

"The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will probe whether the major online platforms that serve digital ads are "adverse to the interests of consumers"."

By definition, ads serve the interests of the advertiser, not those of the consumer. As for the technology behind the ads serving the interests of the consumer, one could argue that financing the services is very much in the interest of the masses, which have come to believe their lives are worthless without being able to spend their days on Facebook, Google, Instagram, et al to revel in cat videos, to exchange gossip, and to increase their sense of self-worth by sharing everything they do with everyone on the planet.

[Doctor Syntax]

Enlarge the market?

Just what we need. More advertising.

[Anonymous Coward]

Small error in article

"magically" should read "tragically."

It would be funny if the real reason Johnson gets his £250k a year from the Telegraph isn't the Barclay's visceral hatred of the EU, but their belief that Johnson as PM could bring back print media.

[Pascal Monett]

"the UK government appears to be ready to [..] get tough on regulation"

Woah there, let's not get too excited, hmm ?

Wait for the amount of the fine before you talk about getting tough. After all, we're talking about Google and FaceBook, two ginormous multinational corporations who . . pay almost nothing in taxes. There certainly is room to get tough.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: "the UK government appears to be ready to [..] get tough on regulation"

Wouldn't it be nice if the level of any fine was set as a %age of turnover, rather than a specific amount

[MrMerrymaker]

Re: "the UK government appears to be ready to [..] get tough on regulation"

I wonder who downvoted that? Seems a good idea - tiny fines are useless to these behemoths

Though as ever I want the directors personally and legally liable.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Who downvoted?

There is nowt as queer as folk.

aka, there will be readers of this esteemed site who may well work for FaceBook or Google. They be seen as protecting their jobs by voting against anything that might hurt their employers financially. People in glasshouses and all that.

Close both of them down TODAY! The world will be a far, far better place without them.

[MJI]

What adverts?

There are adverts on the internet?

Who knew?