At the moment, it appears that the European Union is the only organization that keeps large tech companies on their toes. These tech companies have products that users can not live without. They have access to billions of private information that need protection. They also have the ability to charge exorbitant fees if they so desire. However, these large tech companies are often kept in check by organizations like the EU. The European Parliament has since agreed on a unified charging solution which will take effect in a few years. This move favours the market, especially the consumers. However, European regulators continue to crack down on large technology companies. In response to the EU antitrust investigation, Google parent company Alphabet, has proposed to allow rival advertising agencies to place ads on YouTube.
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Google seeks a quick settlement
This move may pave way for a settlement of the ongoing antitrust investigations. The European Commission launched an investigation last year into whether Google parent Alphabet gained an unfair advantage in digital advertising by restricting access to user data by third-party advertising platforms. The regulator points out that Google requires advertisers to use its Ads Manager. This may limit how competitors serve ads on YouTube. It also requires advertisers to use its two advertising brands and programmatic ad exchanges Google Ads and Display&Video 360 to Buy YouTube ads.
Google previously claim that publishers and advertisers often use multiple technologies and platforms to sell ads. Google has been discussing remedies with the European Commission since last year to avoid paying fines that could be as high as 10% of its global turnover or total revenue.
Separately, the UK competition agency CMA is also investigating Google’s monopolistic practices. The CMA believes that the two tech giants, Apple and Google, have achieved a duopoly in the mobile ecosystem. CMA believes that they control too much – operating systems, app stores and web browsers on mobile devices.
