Belgium launches probe into Google over online advertising practices

BRUSSELS

The Belgian Competition Authority has opened a formal investigation into Google over potential competition law breaches in the online advertising sector, the authority said on Friday.

According to the authority's announcement, the Competition Prosecutor General's Office found “serious indications” of possible violations of rules governing the abuse of a dominant position or economic dependence following complaints about Google's conduct in digital advertising.

The investigation, now formally underway, follows referrals from market participants concerned about Google's role across several layers of the online advertising ecosystem, which connects advertisers with publishers seeking to monetize their digital inventory.

The authority noted that Google operates at multiple levels in the online ad market, including as a platform for selling ad space and as a provider of services to advertisers.

These activities place the company at the center of the complex system of intermediaries that facilitate digital ad placements.

The inquiry will assess whether Google's market conduct amounts to an undue exercise of market power or unfair commercial dependence in violation of competition law.