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Canada sues Google over ad tech – and it’s not alone

December 05, 2024
David Moscrop
​A neon Google logo at the then-new Google office in Toronto in 2012.
A neon Google logo at the then-new Google office in Toronto in 2012.
REUTERS/Mark Blinch
Following the lead of the US Department of Justice, Canada is suing Google, alleging the tech giant is using its dominant position in the market to rig the online advertising market in its favor.

Canada wants Google to split two of its ad tech tools and pay an administrative penalty “equal to three times the value of the benefit derived from Google’s anti-competitive practices, or if that amount cannot be reasonably determined, 3% of Google’s worldwide gross revenues.” So, potentially a decent chunk of cash.

Google is facing suits all over the place right now as countries struggle to reign in the company.

In 2021, the US launched a suit against Google alleging it was subverting competition in the online ad space. That suit, similar to the Canadian case, is ongoing. The US is also looking to break up Google, demanding it sell off its Chrome browser after a judge ruled in a separate case that the company has a monopoly on internet searches.

The European Union is also fighting Google over its ad practices, leaving the company encircled, but nowhere near defeated as cases, appeals, and deal-making will drag on for months or years.

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