In an effort to allay monopoly concerns in the EU, Google has reportedly offered to sell its advertising marketplace AdX. Sources told technology/google-offered-sell-advertising-marketplace-adx-eu-antitrust-probe-sources-say-2024-09-18/” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank” data-ylk=”slk:Reuters;elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:1;pos:1;itc:0;sec:content-canvas”> European publishers rejected Google’s offer, arguing that the company would have to divest more to unravel conflicts of interest in its online advertising operations. Lawyers familiar with antitrust cases said this was the first time Google had offered to sell an asset in response to such a demand.
Despite this alleged sale offer, Google is publicly standing firm on its ad tech business. “As we've said before, the European Commission's case regarding our third-party display advertising products is based on misinterpretations of the ad tech industry, which is fiercely competitive and rapidly evolving. We remain committed to this business,” a Google representative told the publication. We've reached out to Google and will update this story if we receive any additional comment from the company.
Google’s control over online advertising has raised concerns around the world. Regulators have questioned whether the company’s activity at multiple stages of the ad-tech supply chain allows it to favor its own businesses, creating an unfair advantage that could harm competition and drive up advertising prices.
The European Commission has launched this crackdown on the company's advertising division. The UK competition watchdog has also raised the alarm about a possible Google advertising monopoly. Google is also being sued by the Department of Justice over the same issue in the US.
