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Google, Facebook, coordinated antitrust response: report
https://techxplore.com ^ | December 22, 2020

Posted on 12/22/2020 11:39:33 AM PST by Red Badger

Google and Facebook deny wrongdoing in their accords on digital advertising cited in a reported draft of an antitrust complaint

Google and Facebook worked together to help fend off an antitrust investigation into the two tech giants which dominate digital advertising, according to a media report citing a draft of a state lawsuit.

The Wall Street Journal, which cited a draft version of the complaint filed by 10 US states without redactions in the public version, said Tuesday the two firms agreed to "cooperate and assist each other" in responding to an antitrust probe.

The case filed last week was among three separate actions filed by state and federal antitrust enforcers against Google. A separate case has been filed against Facebook over its acquisition of two rival messaging applications.

Facebook dismissed the allegations, saying agreements between the two firms were not aimed at harming competition but offered choices and benefits for advertisers and publishers.

"Any allegation that this harms competition or any suggestion of misconduct on the part of Facebook is baseless," a Facebook spokesperson said.

Google did not immediately respond to an AFP query. But the Journal quoted the tech firm as saying there was nothing improper or exclusive about its arrangement with Facebook.

The claims "are inaccurate. We don't manipulate the auction," the Google spokesperson said.

According to the Journal, the unredacted draft suggested Facebook would win "a fixed percentage" of advertising auctions and that an internal Facebook document described the deal as "relatively cheap" when compared with direct competition.

Google's documents, which were also not cited in the final version of the suit, suggested the deal would "build a moat" to avoid direct competition with Facebook, according to the report.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Government; US: California
KEYWORDS: collusion; facebook; google

1 posted on 12/22/2020 11:39:33 AM PST by Red Badger
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To: Red Badger

>>said Tuesday the two firms agreed to “cooperate and assist each other” in responding to an antitrust probe.

Monopolies colluding to remain monopolies.


2 posted on 12/22/2020 11:41:25 AM PST by a fool in paradise (Who built the cages, Joe?)
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To: Red Badger

GoogBook.

FaceOogle.


3 posted on 12/22/2020 11:44:25 AM PST by Uncle Miltie (400,000,000 Guns. 8,000,000,000 Rounds of Ammo per YEAR. I like our odds.)
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To: Red Badger

What’s the word I’m looking for....

Oh yes, COLLUSION.


4 posted on 12/22/2020 11:47:05 AM PST by unixfox (Abolish Slavery, Repeal the 16th Amendment)
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To: Red Badger

coordinated response:

I’ll lie, you swear to it.

OK, got it.


5 posted on 12/22/2020 12:04:47 PM PST by Daffy
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To: Red Badger

Jerks of the year award. MSM.


6 posted on 12/22/2020 1:05:45 PM PST by FreedBird (T)
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To: Red Badger

Gab had its funding cut off by Paypal and Visa.
Freestarter was killed by losing its financial backing and social media blockade. A different Patreon rival was threatened with loss of funding by Big Banks and a loss of ad revenue and access to social media, so it caved to the political demands by liberals in power.
Mozilla’s founder was kicked off his corporate board and founded a free commenting plugin that was banned across app stores and by social media sites. If Parler gets any ground, Big Tech will collude with Big Banks to kill it, too. They’re already preventing it from updating via various app stores.
I bring this up to show that Big Tech firms are illegally colluding to kill free speech startups - and had help from companies like Paypal and Stripe.


7 posted on 12/22/2020 2:02:09 PM PST by tbw2
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To: Red Badger; a fool in paradise; acapesket; Baynative; beef; BullDog108; Califreak; cgbg; ...
Facebook is a perfect example of socialism:
You get it for free but the quality sucks.
You have no say in how it works.
The guy who runs it gets rich.
There's no real competition.
You have no privacy.
And if you say one thing they don't like
they'll shut you up.

This is the Farcebook Is Evil ping list.

If you'd like to be on or off this list, please click Private Reply below and drop me a FReepmail.


h/t pookie18's toons.

8 posted on 12/22/2020 3:00:00 PM PST by upchuck (All I want for Christmas is term limits for Congress and SCOTUS. h/t Gamble via pookie cartoons.)
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To: tbw2

Yet they tell us there is no conspiracy......................


9 posted on 12/23/2020 5:23:24 AM PST by Red Badger ( “The goal of socialism is communism.”... Vladimir Lenin)
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To: Red Badger

If GM & Ford had a secret agreement with each other and then agreed to help fight lawsuits if it was discovered, the left would be screaming.


10 posted on 12/23/2020 6:57:20 AM PST by Erik Latranyi (The Democratic Party is communism)
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