The European Commission has sent detailed questionnaires to news publishers as it tries to understand whether the way Google collects data from their websites allows it to stifle competition in online advertising.
The questionnaire, seen by the Financial Times, asks news publishers to explain how Google tracks user activity and browsing data from their sites in order to subsequently personalize adverts.
“Describe any agreements . . . based on which Google collects data from your company or is allowed to obtain data from users of your websites or apps,” stated one question, asking the publishers to describe the scope, duration, and rationale for their deals with Google. The questions also ask whether Google provides any technical support or compensation in exchange for the data.
The questions also ask whether Google provides any technical support or compensation in exchange for the data. In a sign of how the Commission’s antitrust investigators are trying to shape a case against Google, the questions focus on whether the internet company is using its dominance to force publishers into sharing data, and whether that data is then repackaged and sold on by Google to third parties, giving any of its advertising clients the same information that news websites have about their readers.
Full Content: Financial Times
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
Featured News
Judge Mehta Questions Both Sides in Landmark Google Antitrust Case
May 2, 2024 by
CPI
FCC Urges Urgent Funding for Removal of Chinese Telecom Equipment from U.S. Networks
May 2, 2024 by
CPI
Former Pioneer CEO Facing Potential Criminal Charges For Colluding With OPEC
May 2, 2024 by
CPI
South Korea’s Antitrust Regulator Greenlights K-Pop Powerhouse Deal
May 2, 2024 by
CPI
Exxon’s Pioneer Purchase Approved, Former CEO Barred from Board
May 2, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Economics of Criminal Antitrust
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Navigating Economic Expert Work in Criminal Antitrust Litigation
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
The Increased Importance of Economics in Cartel Cases
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
A Law and Economics Analysis of the Antitrust Treatment of Physician Collective Price Agreements
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Information Exchange In Criminal Antitrust Cases: How Economic Testimony Can Tip The Scales
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI