Facebook, Google Scrutinized Amid French Online Ad Sector Probe
- French Competition Authority opens sector inquiry Monday
- U.S. online display-ad market to reach $32 billion: eMarketer
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The digital display-advertising sector -- led in the U.S. by Facebook Inc., Google and Twitter Inc. -- faces a potential antitrust crackdown as French regulators start an inquiry with a view to publishing final findings in the second half of next year.
Months after Germany’s antitrust agency began investigating Facebook’s control over the private data of millions of users, the French Competition Authority will examine the importance of collecting and exploiting data to compete in the online display advertising sector, according to a statement released Monday.