Google struck by second U.K. antitrust investigation into online ad dominance

Key takeaways: 

• The Competition and Markets Authority considers whether Google’s part in the ad tech industry may be misinterpreting competition.
• It’s the second primary antitrust investigation targeting Google’s ad practices in the U.K.
• The CMA wants authorities to investigate anti-competitive behavior from tech giants more closely under a new regulatory body.

The U.K.’s competition regulator has unlocked a fresh inquiry into Google, aiming for the firm’s part in the advertising technology market.

It’s the second primary antitrust investigation to target Google’s ad practices in the U.K. The Competition and Markets Authority undertook a separate inquiry with the European Union into Google and Facebook parent firm Meta earlier this year over worries that a 2018 agreement between the two firms — known as “Jedi Blue” — limited competition in digital advertising.

The CMA said Thursday it considered whether Google’s part in the ad tech industry might be warping competition. The internet giant is a prevailing player in the online ad market.

The CMA said that Google acts as a demand-side platform that shows publishers’ ad inventory to marketers and ad exchange, allowing advertisers to contend for advertising space on publishers’ websites. It also handles ad servers that manage publishers’ inventory.