The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
UK to challenge Google, Facebook
LONDON >> Britain’s competition watchdog on Wednesday signaled its willingness to push for stricter rules to counter Google and Facebook ‘s dominance of online advertising.
The Competition and Markets Authority said in an interim report it’s concerned that the U.S. tech giants have become “entrenched” players in the U.K.’s 13 billion pound ($17 billion) digital advertising market, with “negative consequences” for the people and businesses that use them.
Google’s 6 billion pounds in search advertising revenue last year accounted for more than 90% of the U.K. total, while Facebook’s 2 billion pounds in display ad revenue was equivalent to almost half the U.K. total.
Big doesn’t necessarily mean bad and the two companies provide innovative and valuable products and services, the authority added.
However, it said a “lack of real competition to Google and Facebook could mean people are already missing out on the next great new idea from a potential rival.” Lack of proper choice for consumers and higher prices for advertises could mean higher costs for flights, electronics, insurance and other online purchases, it said.
“Most of us visit social media sites and search on the internet every day, but how these firms work can be a mystery,” the authority’s Chief Executive Andrea Coscelli said.
“Digital advertising fuels big businesses like Google and Facebook and we have been building