Entrance to Google UK offices in London.
Ollie Curtis | Future Publishing | via Getty Images
LONDON – Britain's competition watchdog on Friday issued a statement of objections to Google's ad technology practices, which the regulator provisionally found to be affecting competition in the UK.
In a statement, the Competition and Markets Authority alleged that the US internet search giant “harmed competition by using its dominance in online advertising to favour its own ad technology services”.
The Competition and Markets Authority said the “vast majority” of thousands of publishers and advertisers in the UK were using Google technology to bid for and sell advertising space.
The regulator added that it was “also concerned that Google is actively exploiting its dominance in this sector to favour its own services.” The so-called “self-service preference” by tech giants is a major concern for regulators who monitor these companies.
The Competition and Markets Authority also noted that Google was harming ad tech rivals, preventing them from competing on a “level playing field.”
Google did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.
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