Read this quarter’s Intermedia here

NEWS

US States Embark on Competition Investigations of Google and Facebook

16.09.2019
Share this

Attorneys generals for 50 US states and territories have announced an antitrust investigation of Google, embarking on a wide-ranging review of a tech giant that Democrats and Republicans said may threaten competition, consumers and the continued growth of the web, reports the Washington Post. Texas attorney general Ken Paxton charged that Google “dominates all aspects of advertising on the internet and searching on the internet”, though he cautioned that despite his criticism the states had launched an investigation for now and not a lawsuit. Paxton said the probe’s initial focus is online advertising.

Google is expected to rake in more than $48 billion in US digital ad revenue this year, far rivalling its peers, while capturing 75% of all spending on US search ads, according to eMarketer. “They dominate the buyer side, the seller side, the auction side and the video side with YouTube,” he said. Some of those attorneys general appeared to raise additional complaints about Google, ranging from the way the company processes and ranks search results to the extent to which it may not fully protect users’ personal information. “Their early rebukes raised the stakes for Google, threatening top-to-bottom scrutiny of its sprawling business beyond just ads. Paxton promised the probe would go wherever the facts lead.”

Another group of 11 state attorneys general has begun their own probe against Facebook, exploring whether it violates competition laws and mishandles consumers’ personal information. See more here and Facebook item here.

Attorneys generals for 50 US states and territories have announced an antitrust investigation of Google, embarking on a wide-ranging review of a tech giant that Democrats and Republicans said may threaten competition, consumers and the continued growth of the web, reports the Washington Post.

Theme:
Content: innovation, regulation and markets, Competition Policy
Region:
Americas
Series:
Regulatory Watch
You may also like... News
What principles should guide policy-makers in designing approaches for internet intermediaries?
Regulatory Watch – March 2024 18.03.2024
News
Regulatory Watch – February 2024 28.02.2024
News
Round-up of the latest industry news – January 2024 30.01.2024

Latest

Publication
Asia Forum 2024 20.03.2024
News
What principles should guide policy-makers in designing approaches for internet intermediaries?
Regulatory Watch – March 2024 18.03.2024
News
Regulatory Watch – February 2024 28.02.2024
Publication
Telecomunications and Media Forum, North America 21.02.2024
View All
Back to the top

The IIC is the world's only policy debating platform for the converged communications industry

We give innovators and regulators a forum in which to explore, debate and agree the best policies and regulatory frameworks for widest societal benefit.

Insight: Exchange: Influence

We give members a voice through conferences, symposiums and private meetings, as well as broad exposure of their differing viewpoints through articles, reports and interviews.

The new website will make it easier for you to gather fresh insights, exchange views with others and have a voice in the debate

Take a look Learn more about our updates
Please upgrade your browser

You are seeing this because you are using a browser that is not supported. The International Institute of Communications website is built using modern technology and standards. We recommend upgrading your browser with one of the following to properly view our website:

Windows Mac

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of browsers. We also do not intend to recommend a particular manufacturer's browser over another's; only to suggest upgrading to a browser version that is compliant with current standards to give you the best and most secure browsing experience.