French Regulators Cite Google For “Lack Of Transparency” Over Keyword Advertising & Give Then 4 Months

2010 June 30
by Michael H. Berkens

France’s antitrust regulator accused Google on Wednesday of a “lack of transparency” over its keyword advertising service and ordered it to clarify conditions for the product within four months.

The Autorite de la Concurrence was responding to a complaint filed by a French data services company Navx in February, which alleged the world’s top search engine had abused its dominant position by canceling Navx’s AdWords contract.

“Google has implemented the content policy of its AdWords service in a way which lacks objectivity and transparency,  the regulator said in a statement seen by Reuters in Brussels.

It told the Google to clarify over the next four months the procedures resulting in the suspension of an advertiser’s account.

Google can appeal to the French courts against the interim measures.

If the French think there is lack of transparency over keyword advertising, they should see what info Google gives us when they make payment.

None.

5 Responses leave one →
  1. 2010 June 30
    Mike permalink

    Nice to see some push back on Google. This kind of thing will start to crumble the walls and we well eventually see more and more info. being made available about the inner workings of G.

    Personally, I think Google is overstepping its “place” on the Net and is destroying businesses in countless ways…..especially in the last year or so. They are going after all the big profit centers on the Net, since they have all the data, and are now competing with thier advertisers.

    I hope we see Google take a boot to the ass on many fronts.

  2. 2010 June 30

    Frightening to think that the government is the only entity that can get Google to reveal anything about how it operates, if it ever will.

  3. 2010 July 1

    It told the Google to clarify over the next four months the procedures resulting in the suspension of an advertiser’s account.

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