WASHINGTON: The US Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Alphabet’s Google on Tuesday over allegations that the company abused its dominance of the digital advertising business, according to a court document.
“Google has used anticompetitive, exclusionary, and unlawful means to eliminate or severely diminish any threat to its dominance over digital advertising technologies,” the government said in its antitrust complaint.
The Justice Department asked the court to compel Google to divest its Google Ad manager suite, including its ad exchange AdX.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The lawsuit is the second federal antitrust complaint filed against Google, alleging violations of antitrust law in how the company acquires or maintains its dominance. The Justice Department lawsuit filed against Google in 2020 focuses on its monopoly in search and is scheduled to go to trial in September.
Eight states joined the department in the lawsuit filed on Tuesday, including Google’s home state of California.
Google shares were down 1.3 percent on the news.
The lawsuit says “Google has thwarted meaningful competition and deterred innovation in the digital advertising industry, taken supra-competitive profits for itself, prevented the free market from functioning fairly to support the interests of the advertisers and publishers who make today’s powerful Internet possible.”
While Google remains the market leader by a long shot, its share of the US digital ad revenue has been eroding, falling to 28.8 percent last year from 36.7 percent in 2016, according to Insider Intelligence. Google’s advertising business is responsible for some 80 percent of its revenue.
US sues Google on digital ad business dominance, joined by eight states
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US sues Google on digital ad business dominance, joined by eight states
- DoJ accuses Google of abusing its market dominance to “eliminate or severely diminish” competitors, deterred innovation
Universal Music Group artists to return to TikTok after new licensing pact
- New deal to restore label’s song to platform, increase artists’ protection from AI
- Universal Music says TikTok accounts for 1 percent of its annual revenue in 2023
LONDON: Universal Music Group and TikTok said on Thursday they had reached a new licensing agreement that will restore the label’s songs and artists to the social media platform as well as give musicians more protections from artificial intelligence.
TikTok began removing Universal’s content from its app after their licensing deal expired in January and the two sides failed to reach agreement on royalties, AI and online safety for TikTok’s users.
Describing their new pact as a multi-dimensional deal, the companies said they were working “expeditiously” to return music by the label’s artists to TikTok, and also said they would team up to realize new monetization opportunities from TikTok’s growing e-commerce capabilities.
They will “work together on campaigns supporting UMG’s artists across genres and territories globally,” the two firms said in a joint statement.
The short video app is a valuable marketing and promotional tool for the music industry. TikTok is where 16- to 19-year-olds in the United States most commonly discover music, ahead of YouTube and music streaming services such as Spotify , according to Midia Research.
“Roughly a quarter of US consumers say they listen to songs they have heard on TikTok,” said Tatiana Cirisano, Midia’s senior music industry analyst.
However, Universal Music claimed its artists and songwriters are paid just a fraction of what it receives from other major social media platforms.
The music label says TikTok accounts for 1 percent of its annual revenue or about $110 million in 2023. YouTube, by contrast, paid the music industry $1.8 billion from user-generated content in the 12 months ending in June 2022, according to Midia.
In a move that may well have eroded its bargaining power, Taylor Swift, one of Universal Music’s biggest acts, allowed a selection of her songs to return to TikTok as she promoted her latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department.”
Swift owns the copyrights to her recordings through her 2018 deal with Universal and can control where her songs are available, according to the Financial Times.
As licensing negotiations resumed in recent weeks, AI remained a major point of contention. Universal has claimed TikTok is “flooded” with AI-generated recordings, including songs that users create with the help of TikTok’s AI songwriting tools.
In Thursday’s deal, TikTok and Universal said that they would work together to ensure AI development across the music industry will protect human artistry and the economics that flow to those artists and songwriters.
“TikTok is also committed to working with UMG to remove unauthorized AI-generated music from the platform, as well as (developing) tools to improve artist and songwriter attribution,” the statement said.
Concerns about AI have grown in the creative community. In April, a non-profit group called the Artist Rights Alliance published an open letter urging the responsible use of the technology. The group of more than 200 musicians and songwriters called on technology companies and digital music services to pledge not to deploy AI in a way that would “undermine or replace the human artistry of songwriters and artists or deny us fair compensation for our work.”
The deal comes amid questions over TikTok’s long-term future in the United States. President Joe Biden signed legislation last week that gives TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, 270 days to sell its US assets. TikTok has vowed to file suit to challenge the legislation, which it calls a ban.
More than 170 million Americans use its video service, according to TikTok. Globally, it has more than 1.5 billion monthly active users, according to research firm Statista.
Comedian Stephen Colbert defends pro-Palestine college campus demonstrators after Trump attack
- Comedian said protests should be allowed to continue as long as they are peaceful
- Trump claimed 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville was ‘nothing’ in comparison to pro-Palestine college protests
LONDON: American comedian Stephen Colbert has defended pro-Palestinian college campus demonstrators, countering recent criticism from former President Donald Trump.
Last week, Trump likened the student rallies to the 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, claiming the latter was “nothing” in comparison.
On his “Late Show” segment, Colbert expressed solidarity with the protestors who are urging their institutions to cut ties with companies profiting from the conflict in Gaza.
The host said that peaceful protests “should be allowed,” rebuking Trump for “downplaying one of the darkest chapters in American history.”
He added: “Now even if you don’t agree with the subject of their protests, as long as they are peaceful, students should be allowed to protest. It’s their First Amendment right.”
The former “The Colbert Report” star criticized the response of both university officials and law enforcement to recent events at Columbia University, denouncing the use of heavily armed police and threats to call in the National Guard as a “classic de-escalation tactic.”
Trump, however, praised law enforcement’s handling of the situation, commending New York City’s police force.
Colbert’s remarks coincided with the deployment of riot police at Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall, resulting in the arrest of numerous pro-Palestinian students who had occupied the building.
The raids drew condemnation from advocacy groups such as Jewish Voice for Peace and UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese. New York City’s mayor reported the arrest of 282 students.
Subsequent clashes between pro-Palestinian groups, counter-protestors, and law enforcement erupted at other campuses across the US.
Meanwhile, Brown University in Rhode Island reached an agreement with protesters on Tuesday, marking what appears to be the first time a US college has agreed to vote on divestment in response to the protests.
Like Digital & Partners opens new office in Saudi Arabia
- Digital transformation agency expands with Riyadh premises
DUBAI: Like Digital & Partners, an independent digital transformation agency with offices in Dubai and London, has announced the opening of premises in Riyadh to mark its expansion into the Kingdom.
The move comes a month after the agency partnered with business expansion platform AstroLabs to extend its footprint in the region.
The new office in Riyadh will underscore its commitment to the region, it said in a statement.
Like Digital & Partners aims to create new jobs primarily in the fields of project management and user interface design. It plans to employ 10 to 15 staff members at its Riyadh office by the end of 2025.
Specializing in the hospitality industry, the agency has worked with resorts such as Atlantis and One&Only One Za’abeel. It aims to leverage this expertise and experience in the Kingdom, which is seeing an influx of new hotels and resorts, the agency said.
Karl Escritt, CEO of Like Digital & Partners, said: “As we continue our rapid expansion into the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) market and beyond, we are delighted to lay down roots in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“Having dedicated years to nurturing our business in the Kingdom and developing our knowledge and expertise of the market, we are looking forward to further strengthening our ties and servicing new clients.”
Publicis Sapient appoints new managing director for Saudi Arabia
- Ashwaq Al-Shathri will be based in Riyadh, oversee company’s business growth in the Kingdom
DUBAI: Publicis Sapient, a digital business transformation company, has announced the appointment of Ashwaq Al-Shathri as country managing director for Saudi Arabia.
The appointment reflects the importance of the Kingdom and the Middle East for Publicis Sapient, the company said.
Based in the company’s Riyadh office, Al-Shathri will be responsible for accelerating business growth in Saudi Arabia and building the operational business and community.
She will lead the teams responsible for digital business transformation in the region, leveraging the company’s strategy, product, experience, engineering and data, and artificial intelligence capabilities.
Nigel Vaz, CEO of Publicis Sapient, said: “We’re committed to supporting KSA’s technology-driven transformation and realization of Vision 2030, while also, ultimately, helping position KSA as a leader in digital innovation on the global stage.”
Al-Shathri’s appointment “will directly contribute to our continued business growth as we scale our expertise in the Middle East to better serve our clients and their customers and help them transform digitally,” said Srinivas Devulapalli, managing director of Publicis Sapient MENA (Middle East and North Africa).
Publicis Sapient is the digital business transformation hub of Publicis Groupe with 20,000 people and over 53 offices worldwide. Its global clients include Marriott, Goldman Sachs, McDonald’s, and Walmart, while regional clients include Omantel, Diriyah Gate, and Miral.
London mayoral candidate under scrutiny for joining Islamophobic Facebook group
- Conservative candidate Susan Hall has refused to leave groups containing Islamophobic content, instead joining a new one
- Campaigner criticizes move as ‘last-ditch attempt’ to win votes as London prepares to choose new mayor
LONDON: The London mayoral candidate for the Conservative Party has come under scrutiny for her involvement in Facebook groups known for hosting Islamophobic content.
A joint investigation by Greenpeace-funded outlet Unearthed and The Guardian revealed that Susan Hall was a member of at least six private Facebook groups containing Islamophobic hate speech and abusive remarks directed at her opponent, Sadiq Khan.
The exposé revealed that the groups, presented as local grassroots campaigns against London’s clean air policies, are run by Conservative Party operatives including staff and activists.
Despite public exposure, Hall has declined to exit any of these Facebook groups and instead joined another one on Tuesday, according to Unearthed.
Khan told The Guardian these revelations could have an impact on the safety of his family and staff and has urged police to take action.
Reporters who infiltrated the 36-group network uncovered numerous Islamophobic and racist posts, including derogatory remarks about Khan, labeling him a “terrorist sympathizer” and a “khaki punt.” Some commenters even expressed willingness to pay for harm to be inflicted on him.
Alongside posts inciting vandalism, the investigation identified at least one YouTube video alleging that “Islamists” were “taking over Britain.”
While Conservative staff or politicians did not appear to directly engage with these racist posts, a party spokesperson unequivocally condemned posts in the groups.
However, Ami McCarthy, a political campaigner at Greenpeace UK, criticized Hall’s decision to join another group as a “last-ditch attempt to boost her ratings,” arguing that a “respectable politician would have issued an apology and left the Facebook groups” after the exposure of racism, Islamophobia, and posts inciting criminal damage.
Londoners will cast their votes for the new mayor on Thursday, with current mayor Khan leading in the polls, according to YouGov.
Hall has previously faced similar controversies related to Islamophobia. In February, she was called upon to apologize by Khan’s Labour party after suggesting that Jewish Londoners were “frightened” of Khan and retweeting a post from a far-right figure calling Khan the “mayor of Londonistan.”
Last November, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain Zara Mohammed denounced Hall’s candidacy as “unacceptable,” highlighting the persistent nature of Islamophobia within the Conservative Party and its divisive impact on communities.
