ADIF challenges Google’s dominance by filing complaint with CCI – Telangana Today

In its complaint, ADIF detailed Google’s dominant position and “alleged abuses” in the online search and display advertising markets.

New Delhi: The Alliance of Digital India Foundation (ADIF) on Monday said it has filed a comprehensive complaint with the Competition Commission of India (CCI), exposing alleged anti-competitive practices by Google in the online advertising space.

In its complaint, ADIF cited Google’s dominant position and “allegedly abusive conduct” in both the search engine advertising market and the online display advertising market.

The highest body representing domestic startups has accused Google of saying its control over major internet platforms, coupled with the fact that 97 percent of its revenue comes from advertising, has “led to practices that limit competition and negatively impact Indian businesses.”

Prateek Jain, Associate Director, Startups and Alliances, Alliance of Digital India Foundation (ADIF), said the digital advertising market is crucial for the growth and sustainability of the Indian startup ecosystem.

“Our complaint to the Competition Commission of India is a crucial step towards ensuring that this important marketplace operates on the principles of fairness, transparency and equitable competition. We believe that addressing these issues will not only benefit advertisers and publishers but will also foster innovation and create a more vibrant digital economy in India,” Jain added.

The complaint highlights how Google imposes unfair terms on advertisers for search advertising through its Advertising Policies.

According to ADIF, these included restrictions on connection assets and bans on third-party technical support. The foundation also raised concerns about the opacity of Google’s ad ranking system, describing it as a “black-box approach” that leaves advertisers in the dark about the services they are paying for.

In addition, ADIF argued that Google’s trademark bidding practices in keyword bidding artificially inflate ad prices. Google allows competitors to bid on trademarked keywords, leading to a bidding war that ultimately benefits Google at the expense of advertisers and trademark owners.

The foundation also highlights inconsistencies in the enforcement of Google’s advertising policies and a lack of transparency in the ad review and adjudication process. These practices often result in unfair denial of access to Google’s search advertising platform for many advertisers.

In the display advertising market, the ADIF complaint exposes how Google is leveraging its dominance across the entire value chain of the ad tech stack. Google is engaging in self-preference by tying its products, such as DoubleClick for Publishers to AdX and Display & Video 360 to AdX.

ADIF stressed that with digital advertising spending in India continuing to grow rapidly, there is a need to urgently address this imbalance in the market.