Skip to main content

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now

Europe’s competition cop says she’ll monitor Google’s ad-blocking efforts

Margrethe Vestager tweeted her concern.

EU Commissioner Margrethe Vestager onstage
EU Commissioner Margrethe Vestager onstage
Via YouTube

European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager is keeping an eye on Google’s development of an ad blocker.

Google is working on a feature for its Chrome browser on desktop and mobile that would either filter certain types of ads or filter ads entirely from sites that run what it sees as “bad ads,” according to sources.

The feature could still end up not being released and it may or may not qualify as an ad blocker in the way people typically think about ad blockers.

Still, Vestager, who heads up the EU’s regulatory body in charge of anticompetitive behavior, has her ears perked. “We will follow this new feature and it’s effects closely,” she tweeted in response to a question from a reporter.

A Google-made ad blocker could stifle competition among third-party ad blockers, especially if it were promoted as a built-in feature in Google’s Chrome browser. Google might also have an incentive to maintain ads served by its own ads network, giving its business an additional edge.

Google declined to comment on Vestager’s remarks.

Vestager has made numerous allegations of antitrust toward Google, including claims the company uses its dominance in digital advertising to promote results from Google products such as Google Shopping, even when they are not the most relevant to users.


This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

More in Technology

Podcasts
Are humanoid robots all hype?Are humanoid robots all hype?
Podcast
Podcasts

AI is making them better — but they’re not going to be doing your chores anytime soon.

By Avishay Artsy and Sean Rameswaram
Future Perfect
The old tech that could help stop the next airborne pandemicThe old tech that could help stop the next airborne pandemic
Future Perfect

Glycol vapors, explained.

By Shayna Korol
Future Perfect
Elon Musk could lose his case against OpenAI — and still get what he wantsElon Musk could lose his case against OpenAI — and still get what he wants
Future Perfect

It’s not about who wins. It’s about the dirty laundry you air along the way.

By Sara Herschander
Life
Why banning kids from AI isn’t the answerWhy banning kids from AI isn’t the answer
Life

What kids really need in the age of artificial intelligence.

By Anna North
Culture
Anthropic owes authors $1.5B for pirating work — but the claims process is a Kafkaesque messAnthropic owes authors $1.5B for pirating work — but the claims process is a Kafkaesque mess
Culture

“Your AI monster ate all our work. Now you’re trying to pay us off with this piece of garbage that doesn’t work.”

By Constance Grady
Future Perfect
Some deaf children are hearing again because of a new gene therapySome deaf children are hearing again because of a new gene therapy
Future Perfect

A medical field that almost died is quietly fixing one disease at a time.

By Bryan Walsh