CANADA EYE ON GOOGLE
Ups ad-price probe
Canada’s antitrust watchdog widened its investigation into whether Google’s online advertising business is engaging in predatory pricing.
As part of the Competition Bureau’s probe — which expands on an investigation that initially began in 2020 — the law-enforcement agency obtained an order from the Federal Court of Canada requiring Google to produce relevant records and written information, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The Competition Bureau was issued its first court order related to their investigation into Google’s conduct in the online display-advertising market in October 2021, seeking to determine whether the Alphabet subsidiary was “impeding the success of competitors” and surging prices as a result, the Journal reported.
The bureau said Thursday that it’s also now examining whether Google is using its market power across display-advertising technology services to harm competition.
In addition, the Competition Bureau is looking into Google’s potential predatory pricing, according to the Journal, which is a strategy often deployed to weaken rivals by establishing extremely low prices.
“The investigation is ongoing and there is no conclusion of wrongdoing at this time,” the bureau told the Journal.
‘Effective products’
A Google spokesperson told The Post that “the advertising-technology industry is highly competitive and constantly evolving, which has lowered costs and expanded choices for consumers.”
“Canadian businesses choose to use our advertising products because they’re effective and reliable at helping them reach their customers and grow,” the spokesperson said.
The Competition Bureau’s investigation adds to the scrutiny Google is facing from other organizations around the globe, including European antitrust regulators’ crackdown on Google’s ad-tech business.
On Wednesday, the Mountain View, Calif.-based tech behemoth was hit with a $2.3 billion lawsuit by media giant Axel Springer and 31 other publishers, alleging that they suffered heavy losses due to the search giant’s practices in digital advertising.
Google said that it will oppose the claims “vigorously,” and called the lawsuit “speculative and opportunistic.”