Google to Face Grilling On Advertising Before US Senate Antitrust Panel

 

Google alphabet will be asked about its advertising business at a hearing on Tuesday, with some focus being expected to have misused its dominance in online advertising to drive profits.Senator Mike Lee, a Republican and chairman of the US Senate Judiciary Committee of the antitrust panel, is also likely to pressure Google over allegations that it does not match the prices of advertising services, as its critics complain.Lee is expected to raise concerns that Google may have violated US anti-trust laws, a source close to the panel said.

The tech giant made a series of purchases, including DoubleClick and AdMob, to help make it a leading player in online advertising. Google maintains strong adherence to multiple steps between an advertiser who wants to place an ad and the website they want to host.

The panel will hear from Don Harrison, who took over as Google's chief development officer, overseeing advertising relationships with other companies, in 2012.

Harrison, who testifies at a time when Google has a few friends in Washington, will argue that the ad technology system is overcrowded and competitive, with Amazon and Facebook among Google's most powerful competitors, and that advertising technology revenue has fallen.

Harrison is also expected to say that advertising is important in supporting free websites, including Google search.The trial comes as the U.S. Department of Justice is expected to file a lawsuit against Google within weeks, according to sources familiar with the matter.