The Alliance of Digital India Foundation (ADIF) has lodged a complaint with the Competition Commission of India (CCI), alleging that Google engages in anti-competitive practices in the online advertising market.
The complaint outlined Google's dominance in both the online search and display advertising sectors and accuses the tech giant of behaviours that stifle competition and harm Indian businesses.
According to the ADIF, Google's near-total control over major online platforms, combined with its heavy reliance on advertising revenue—which constitutes 97 per cent of its income—has led to unfair practices that hinder competition. The foundation specifically pointed to the imposition of restrictive conditions on advertisers, such as limits on call assets and prohibitions on third-party technical support, which they argue creates an uneven playing field.
The ADIF also criticised Google's ad ranking system, describing it as opaque and leaving advertisers unclear about what they are paying for.
Additionally, the foundation raised concerns about Google's trademark keyword bidding practices, which allow competitors to bid on trademarked terms. This practice, ADIF claims, artificially inflates ad prices, ultimately benefiting Google at the expense of advertisers and trademark owners.
Further allegations include inconsistencies in Google's ad policy enforcement and a lack of transparency in its ad review and redressal processes, often resulting in the unfair exclusion of advertisers from Google’s platform.
In the display advertising market, ADIF accused Google of leveraging its dominance by tying products together, such as DoubleClick for Publishers with AdX and Display & Video 360 with AdX, engaging in self-preferencing that disrupts market competition.
