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DOJ To Reject Google Concessions: Report

 |  July 17, 2022

According to reports, the DOJ is getting ready to sue Google again for antitrust violations related to claims that its advertising technology division is restricting competition. 

The Google ad tech platform is a market for buying and selling advertising on websites and mobile applications. But since it controls the market, it has been under investigation lately. As a result, officials will likely revoke the search engine giant’s prior concessions to avoid a legal dispute.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday (July 8), citing individuals familiar with the situation, that Alphabet Inc.’s Google has provided concessions to prevent this U.S. antitrust lawsuit accusing the firm of abusing its weight in the advertising technology industry.

Google said earlier this week to Android Central that it has been collaborating with authorities to alleviate their worries. A corporate spokesman insisted that Google had no intentions to divest itself of its troubled advertising division.

The antitrust case might be filed soon. If granted, Google will face another antitrust complaint. Additionally, the Competition and Markets Authority is investigating whether Google unlawfully blocks external ad servers.

Last month, European Consumer Organization (BEUC), a consumer rights organization in Europe, filed a wave of privacy complaints against Google, charging the advertising behemoth with misleading account creation design that they claim leads users to consent to intrusive and excessive data processing.

Google seems to depend on user permission as its legal justification for profiling account users for ad targeting reasons. 

The GDPR regulations in Europe are meant to make it simple for users to choose privacy-protecting settings. Still, according to the complaint, Google allegedly breaks this guideline when you establish an account. Additionally, it highlights that Android users must have a Google account to download programs from Google Play.

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