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The
Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said Google accounted
for more than 90% of all revenue earned for search advertising
in the UK in 2018, with revenue of about 6 billion pounds, and
Facebook accounted for almost half of all display advertising in
the same year.
It said 'big' was not necessarily 'bad' and the platforms had
brought innovative and valuable products and services to the
market, but it was concerned their position may have negative
consequences for the people and businesses who used their
services every day.
It was also concerned that people did not feel in control of
their data when they were on the platforms.
"Most of us visit social media sites and search on the internet
every day, but how these firms work can be a mystery," CMA Chief
Executive Andrea Coscelli said.
"Digital advertising fuels big businesses like Google and
Facebook and we have been building a picture of how this complex
new market works."
The CMA launched its investigation into digital advertising,
including the ownership of data, in July.
It said on Wednesday it had looked at how the firms collected
and used people's data, how they monetized it and what this
meant for rival companies, as well as the people and businesses
using these services every day.
It said it was now inviting comments on what it had found, and
would most likely make recommendations to Britain's new
government about how it regulates the sector.
The CMA added that it stood ready to act directly through its
own powers if, ultimately, these issues were not addressed in
other ways, whether domestically or internationally.
(Reporting by Paul Sandle, editing by Louise Heavens)
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