CNBC: EU regulators hit Google with $1.7 billion fine for blocking ad rivals. “The EU’s commissioner for competition, Margrethe Vestager, said Wednesday that Google must pay 1.49 billion euros ($1.69 billion) for stifling competition in the online advertisement sector.”
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Reuters: Google seeking to promote rivals to stave off EU antitrust action
Reuters: Google seeking to promote rivals to stave off EU antitrust action. “Google is trying to boost price comparison rivals such as Kelkoo in an effort to appease European Union antitrust regulators and ward off fresh fines following a 2.4-billion-euro (2 billion pounds) penalty nearly two years ago. The European Commission said Alphabet unit Google had used its search engine market power to unfairly promote its own comparison shopping service.”
Trusting in Antitrust: Actions Against Big Tech Are Now Palatable (New York Times)
New York Times: Trusting in Antitrust: Actions Against Big Tech Are Now Palatable. “At a moment when nearly everything in America seems wildly contentious, antitrust action against tech is getting a sober look. Antitrust is the nuclear bomb of regulatory policy, but the reaction to Ms. [Elizabeth] Warren’s and Ms. [Amy] Klobuchar’s ideas was surprisingly receptive.”
Bloomberg Quint: State Attorneys General Lay Groundwork for Google Investigation
Bloomberg Quint: State Attorneys General Lay Groundwork for Google Investigation. “Last September, Jeff Sessions, then the U.S. attorney general, called a meeting of state attorneys general to discuss his suspicions that Google and Facebook were suppressing conservative views. After hearing him out, his audience steered the conversation toward a different concern. The state officials argued that the real problem was Silicon Valley’s market power and its handling of personal data, and they made the case for aggressive antitrust action, according to people familiar with the event, who asked for anonymity to describe private discussions.”
Reuters: Google faces third EU antitrust fine next week – source
Reuters: Google faces third EU antitrust fine next week – source. “Alphabet unit Google is likely to be hit with a third EU antitrust fine next week related to its AdSense advertising service, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday, with the sanction expected to be much smaller than previous fines.”
UK needs to meet Facebook, Google competition with new rules: report (Reuters)
Reuters: UK needs to meet Facebook, Google competition with new rules: report. “Britain needs to overhaul its competition rules to tackle the dominance of tech giants like Facebook, Google and Amazon, and increase consumer choice, a government review said on Wednesday.”
Yahoo Finance: Murdoch’s News Corp. Australia Asks to Break Up Google
Yahoo Finance: Murdoch’s News Corp. Australia Asks to Break Up Google. “Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. Australia asked the country’s regulators to push to break up or effective separation of Google’s digital advertising business because of the damage it is inflicting on the nation’s media industry. News Corp. made the request in an 80-page filing with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission following a preliminary report from the regulator, recommending a new or existing watchdog should investigate and monitor how large digital platforms rank and display ads and news.”
