Google Looks To Collaborate With Australian Regulator On New Tech Laws

Google has offered the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) a number of suggestions on how best to move forward with regulation in the digital advertising space, saying a “collaborative” approach would provide the most benefit to consumers and Australian businesses.

“Google succeeds when our partners do — so we have a strong incentive to ensure a healthy digital advertising ecosystem,” a blog post penned by Google Australia’s marketing director Barney Pierce said.

The competition watchdog is currently probing the advertising technology (ad tech) sector, focusing its efforts, again, on the search giant, with the ACCC concerned with “Google’s industry-leading position.”

In response to the ACCC kicking off the inquiry, Google argued ad tech is a competitive market with low barriers to entry, and that it’s merely one of the many companies offering such a service.

The search engine giant said it creates AU$32 billion in benefits annually for businesses and content creators in Australia through its advertising platforms.  

In its 68-page submission (PDF) to the inquiry, Google stated the ACCC’s Interim Report presented an incomplete view of the digital advertising industry. 

“Focussing only on web-based open display advertising results in a misleading view of industry dynamics,” it stated.

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