TORONTO: Canada’s antitrust watchdog said Thursday it is suing Google over alleged anticompetitive conduct in the tech giant’s online advertising business and wants the company to sell off two of its ad tech services and pay a penalty.
The Competition Bureau said that such action is necessary because an investigation into Google found that the company “unlawfully” tied together its ad tech tools to maintain its dominant market position.
The matter is now headed for the Competition Tribunal, a quasi-judicial body that hears cases brought forward by the competition commissioner about non-compliance with the Competition Act.
The bureau is asking the tribunal to order Google to sell its publisher ad server, DoubleClick for Publishers, and its ad exchange, AdX. It estimates Google holds a market share of 90 percent in publisher ad servers, 70 percent in advertiser networks, 60 percent in demand-side platforms and 50 percent in ad exchanges.
This dominance, the bureau said, has discouraged competition from rivals, inhibited innovation, inflated advertising costs and reduced publisher revenues.
“Google has abused its dominant position in online advertising in Canada by engaging in conduct that locks market participants into using its own ad tech tools, excluding competitors, and distorting the competitive process,” Matthew Boswell, Commissioner of Competition, said in a statement.
Google, however, maintains the online advertising market is a highly competitive sector.
Dan Taylor, Google’s vice president of global ads, said in a statement that the bureau’s complaint “ignores the intense competition where ad buyers and sellers have plenty of choice.”
The statement added that Google intends to defend itself against the allegation.
US regulators want a federal judge to break up Google to prevent the company from continuing to squash competition through its dominant search engine after a court found it had maintained an abusive monopoly over the past decade.
The proposed breakup, floated in a 23-page document filed this month by the US Department of Justice, calls for sweeping punishments that would include a sale of Google’s industry-leading Chrome web browser and impose restrictions to prevent Android from favoring its own search engine.
Canada sues Google over alleged anticompetitive practices in online ads
https://arab.news/2w4ep
Canada sues Google over alleged anticompetitive practices in online ads
- The Competition Bureau is asking a tribunal to order Google to sell its ad tech tools, which it uses "unlawfully" to maintain its dominant market position
- Google maintains the online advertising market is a highly competitive sector and that it intends to defend itself against the allegation
Press groups slam Israel’s ongoing ban on foreign journalists entering Gaza
- Israeli government did not officially explain why it continues to block journalists, despite earlier pledges to reexamine its position
- Government’s next response is due by Dec. 21, though court observers warn this deadline may once again be extended
LONDON: Press freedom advocates and international news organizations have condemned Israel’s ban on international journalists entering Gaza despite a nearly two-month-long ceasefire with Hamas.
On Thursday, Israel’s Supreme Court granted yet another extension for the government to respond to the case, the ninth delay since a petition was filed by the Foreign Press Association in Israel in September 2024, demanding open access for foreign correspondents to report from the war-torn enclave.
The delay drew condemnations, with The New York Times, one of the media organizations supporting the legal challenge, saying the restrictions are “limiting reporting on the ground that is vital to understanding the conflict and assuring the free and credible flow of information.”
In a statement quoted by the newspaper, a spokesperson urged Israel to “lift restrictions without delay, allowing all journalists to work securely and without fear or hesitation.”
Sara Qudah, Middle East and North Africa director at the Committee to Protect Journalists, said the ban echoed press crackdowns seen in authoritarian regimes, calling it “a deliberate barrier to accountability.”
Israel has come under intensifying pressure to allow journalists inside Gaza throughout the years of the war.
Since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, Israeli authorities have prevented foreign journalists from independently entering the devastated territory, allowing only a handful of reporters to accompany its troops into the Palestinian territory under Israeli blockade.
Reporters said they were not permitted to conduct independent investigations or speak freely with residents during the coverage tours.
Human rights organizations and press freedom advocates said the absence of international media has made it harder to independently verify war crimes or abuses committed by Israel and Hamas.
While Israel has previously cited “security concerns” and the need to protect military operations as justification, press groups maintain that such arguments no longer hold, especially in the current ceasefire climate.
The Israeli government did not officially explain why it continues to block journalists, despite earlier pledges to reexamine its position. In October, the government told the court it would review the policy within 30 days “in light of the ceasefire,” but no changes have followed.
The government’s next response is due by Dec. 21, though court observers warn this deadline may once again be extended.
The CPJ reported that more than 200 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza during the war, calling it “the deadliest conflict for journalists since CPJ began documenting deaths in 1992.”
A day after the latest court extension, FPA released a statement, saying it “firmly opposed” another delay to the Israeli supreme court’s decision on its petition demanding independent access to the Gaza Strip.
“Continuously preventing coverage — every minute, every hour, every day — seriously undermines the ability of international media to carry out their mission, and infringes on the fundamental rights of billions of users,” the FPA said in a statement.
The association represents hundreds of foreign journalists working for international news organizations in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
In October, it joined numerous international organizations that have demanded press access into Gaza. In July, major news agencies including AFP, AP, BBC and Reuters released a joint statement urging Israel to allow journalists in and out of Gaza, voicing concerns on the status of Palestinian journalists enduring famine, bombardment and displacement while covering the war for international outlets.
