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Google is facing yet more scrutiny over its ad tech practices after the UKs competition watchdog provisionally found that the company is abusing its dominant market position. In a statement of objections, the Competition and Markets Authority said Google is harming competition in the country by using its dominance in online display advertising to favor its own ad tech services. The watchdog contends that, since 2015, Google has taken advantage of its dominant position in the sector as the operator of the Google Ads and DV260 ad-buying tools and DoubleClick For Publishers, a publisher ad server, to bolster its AdX advertising exchange. The CMA said that AdX is at the heart of the company's ad tech stack and it's the platform on which it charges the highest fees to advertisers approximately 20 percent of each bid for ad space that's processed there. The CMA provisionally found that "the vast majority of publishers and advertisers use Googles ad tech services in order to bid for and sell advertising space" on websites. By preferencing its own services, "Google disadvantages competitors and prevents them competing on a level playing field to provide publishers and advertisers with a better, more competitive service that supports growth in their business," the CMA stated. The statement of objections gives Google a chance to provide feedback and the CMA will consider those representations before it makes any final decision. A case decision group comprising three people (none of whom were involved in the preliminary investigation or sending the statement of objections). If the CMA ultimately determines that Google has infringed competition rules, it can fine the company up to 10 percent of its global annual revenue and order legally binding changes to the ad tech business. Google disagrees with the decision and will respond accordingly, Dan Taylor, vice president of Google Ads, said. Our advertising technology tools help websites and apps fund their content, and enable businesses of all sizes to effectively reach new customers, Taylor told CNBC in a statement. Google remains committed to creating value for our publisher and advertiser partners in this highly competitive sector. The core of this case rests on flawed interpretations of the ad tech sector. Regulators elsewhere have taken aim at Google's position in the ad tech space. The European Commission accused the company of "abusive practices" in the online ad space in June last year. The EC said that a potential order for Google to implement remedies may not be enough to resolve those practices. That could lead to the EU breaking up Google's ad business. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice and Google are set to go head-to-head in a trial that will start on Monday. The agency has called for the company's ad tech business to be broken up, citing an alleged illegal monopoly Google holds in that market. Google failed in an attempt to have the case dismissed. Last month, a federal judge ruled that Google illegally abused a monopoly over the search industry following a trial that stemmed from a separate DOJ lawsuit.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/uk-watchdog-claims-googles-ad-tech-practices-are-harming-competition-144944451.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
LG's stretchable displays that we first saw at CES 2023 have made a new public appearance at a fashion show, the company announced. The tech which LG now calls Stretchable appeared as part of clothing and bag concepts at 2025 Seoul Fashion Week. The displays were added to the front of garments, sleeves and clutch bags designed by Korean designers Youn-Hee Park and Chung-Chung Lee. "We have been able to design future fashion concepts with new materials that have never existed before," Park said. Stretchable displays can be pulled, bent and twisted, so they go a step farther than the bending and twisting displays used in foldable smartphones. To make them more supple, LG built the substrate material from a silicon similar to that used in contact lenses, with microLEDs smaller than 40-micrometers for the light source. LG notes they can be stretched from 12 to 14 inches or about 20 percent. Flexible wearable tech has been a much researched feature for fashion and even things like invisibility cloaks. South Korea's government created a national project to test their commercial potential for new types of wearable tech across multiple industries. The main challenge has been to make it more like fabric instead of stiff plastic, but LG seems to have at least partially cracked the problem.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/lg-flaunts-its-stretchable-displays-on-the-catwalk-140053981.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
Telegram has quietly edited its FAQs to remove language stating that it doesn't moderate private and group chats, as reported by CoinDesk. A section with the heading "There's illegal content on Telegram. How do I take it down?" previously stated that content in chats and group chats remains between participants. Now, though, the section says that "all Telegram apps have 'Report' buttons" that will give a way for users to flag illegal content for the app's moderators. Users only have to tap the message on Android, or press and hold it on iOS, and choose the Report option. They can also take note of links to the content they want to report and send an email to the service's takedown email address (abuse@telegram.org). The change comes after Telegram chief Pavel Durov published his first public comment following his arrest on his channel. Durov was arrested at an airport in France in late August as part of authorities' investigation into the lack of moderation on the app and its failure to curb criminal activities. He was already released from custody, but he was charged with "complicity in distributing child pornography, illegal drugs and hacking software" on the messaging app, as well as "refusing to cooperate with investigations into illegal activity on the Telegram." French authorities apparently told Durov that he was arrested because they didn't receive any responses from Telegram about their investigation. That was surprising, the app's founder explained in his post, because Telegram has an official representative in the EU and an email address publicly available for anyone. He also said that French authorities had numerous ways to reach him for assistance and that he even previously helped them establish a Telegram hotline to address threats of terrorism in the country. In addition, he called the French authorities' decision to "charge a CEO with crimes committed by third parties on the platform" they manage a "misguided approach." No innovators will build ever new tools, he said, he they can be held responsible for the potential abuse of those tools. Durov also talked about how Telegram defends the basic rights of people, especially in places they're violated. In Russia, for instance, Telegram got banned when the service refused to hand over encryption keys that will allow authorities to spy on users. He said the service takes down "millions of harmful posts and channels every day," publishes transparency reports and maintains direct hotlines with NGOs for urgent moderation requests. The CEO admits, however, that Telegram has room for improvement. Its "abrupt increase in user count" to 950 million "caused growing pains" that made it easier for criminals to abuse its platform. Telegram aims to "significantly improve things in this regard" and has already started the process internally. Presumably, this change in its rules is part of the messaging service's efforts to address authorities' accusations that it has failed to prevent criminals from using its app. To note, service reported earlier this year that it has 41 million users in the European Union, but officials believe it lied about its user numbers to avoid being regulated under the Digital Services Act (DSA). This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/telegram-will-allow-users-report-illegal-content-in-private-chats-130053441.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
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