Google's Quiet Dominance Over The 'Ad Tech' Industry

Forbes ^ | February 26, 2015 | Allen Grunes

[huldah1776]

***snip***

The exponential growth of the Internet over the past decade is the direct result of advertising that enables Internet publishers to monetize their content. Ad tech makes this possible by helping companies track, serve and measure the effectiveness of ads online. Without a healthy, competitive ad tech industry, much of the free online content we use every day would go behind paywalls or disappear altogether.

Google’s efforts to dominate ad tech and squeeze out competitors is bringing that potentially ominous future closer to reality.

***snip***

When the FTC closed its investigation of Google’s acquisition of DoubleClick in 2007, it vowed to monitor Google’s behavior in the affected ad tech markets, saying: “We want to be clear, however, that we will closely watch these markets and, should Google engage in unlawful tying or other anticompetitive conduct, the Commission intends to act quickly.” Since then, widespread concerns have been raised about Google’s engagement in a range of exclusionary conduct, including the very same tying that the FTC had said it would move quickly to address.

Google now locks in publishers and advertisers at both ends. It ties services that advertisers or publishers do not want to those that they need, pressuring them to use Google-only services all the way up and down the pipeline. For example, Google ties its dominant ad exchange to its publisher ad-serving tools, and it pressures advertisers to use its DSP to buy ads on its exchange.

[huldah1776]

Thought the timing was perfect since the fascists in the administration are taking over the internet. Seems they are going to use Google to do the controlling and, hey, with all that good conservative info on their cloud servers, that saves room on the NSA servers. oh, wait, maybe Google IS the NSA!

Here are a couple of threads recently discussing google (I would make a great logo using binoculars for that company):

Net neutrality secrecy: No one knows what the FCC approved (but Google has a good idea)

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3262137/posts

Tom Wheeler tweaks net neutrality plan after Google push

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3261679/posts

Google Is Calling the FBI’s Attempt to Expand Their ‘Hacking Power’ a Huge Constitutional Threat

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3260100/posts

Google's Vint Cerf warns of 'digital Dark Age'

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3258705/posts

[FlJoePa]

I don’t like Google, but any small businessman not using adwords is missing the boat. It is an amazing marketing tool/lead generator.

[VanDeKoik]

We cant read the thing, but Google could?

These tech companies are just disgusting.

[indthkr]

Google and Facebook are excellent candidates for a couple of Antitrust investigations.

[tbw2]

Especially the revelation that Google has anti-trust practices with regard to online advertising - and two thirds market share.
PO Google, and you lose Google Adsense, data management, everything. No due process, no way to get it back.
They decide not to carry your ads for guns or something non-PC, it is a challenge to market on the internet.

[indthkr]

"two thirds market share"

Google has a meeting with the EU Antitrust commissioner next week. Hopefully the EU will bring the hammer down.

[lqcincinnatus]

So how does a regular ole’ citizen start an anti-trust lawsuit?

[indthkr]

"So how does a regular ole’ citizen start an anti-trust lawsuit?"

It would probably be best to form a group of people to do it. It took multiple corporations to take on Microsoft.