Google and Facebook reportedly 'had a non-disclosure agreement to cooperate in preparation for antitrust investigations'
In mid-December 2020, more than 30 state prosecutors filed a lawsuit alleging that Google violated
Google, Facebook Agreed to Team Up Against Possible Antitrust Action, Draft Lawsuit Says --WSJ
https://www.wsj.com/articles/google-facebook-agreed-to-team-up-against-possible-antitrust-action-draft-lawsuit-says-11608612219
Google, Facebook reportedly agreed to work together to fight antitrust probes | Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/12/google-facebook-reportedly-agreed-to-work-together-to-fight-antitrust-probes/
On December 16, 2020, several state prosecutors filed a class action proceeding against Google for violating antitrust laws. However, it was pointed out that the published (PDF file) complaint contained many black-painted amendments, obscuring the rationale for Google's violation of antitrust laws.
Google faces further antitrust lawsuits, this time suspected of conspiracy with Facebook-GIGAZINE
by Ben Nuttall
According to the draft complaint, which WSJ independently obtained, plaintiffs said that Google and Facebook would 'auction the ad publisher's web screen and in-app inventory, arranging bid prices between them and allocating the market as competitive bidders.' Claims to have signed a secret agreement in 2018.
In 2017, Facebook devised a new advertising bidding method called ' header bidding .' According to the complaint, Google felt the header bid as a competitor and said, 'Instead of Facebook not using header bids, Google provided Facebook with some significance and one of the funds generated in the advertising auction. He said he had signed a contract to 'provide a department.'
According to the WSJ, the final version of the complaint will include a specific contract price between the two. In the draft complaint, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg agreed to a contract that 'Facebook will spend $ 500 million a year on Google ads,' Mark Zuckerberg.・ It has been pointed out that he sent an email to CEO Zuckerberg saying, 'This is strategically important.' In addition, Facebook's internal documents consider the deal with Google to be 'relatively cheaper' than it would have been in actual competition with Google, the WSJ reports.
In addition, plaintiffs said, 'Google falsely announces that all bidders are competing on an equal footing in advertising auctions. Google and Facebook may cause antitrust breaches in their partnership. We were keenly aware of this. The two companies were discussing, negotiating and recording how to cooperate with each other. ' From here, the WSJ reports that Google and Facebook have signed an information sharing agreement in preparation for an antitrust investigation.
A Google spokeswoman told The Wall Street Journal, 'This allegation is inaccurate, the deal with Facebook was not a secret, and Facebook's involvement is not exclusive. I have never received data that is not available to other buyers, 'he said. A Facebook spokeswoman also said, 'There is absolutely no basis for allegations that this hinders competition or any implications of Facebook's illegal activity.'
The antitrust proceedings against Google are not scheduled to begin until September 2023.
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