Google is facing a big legal battle with Rumble, a controversial video-sharing website. According to the platform, Rumble has lost over a billion dollars in potential revenue due to Google’s activities in the digital advertising sector.
Allegations against Google
According to Rumble’s lawsuit, Google has acquired businesses engaged in both the purchasing and selling of ads, as well as managing the exchange that links these parties, establishing a monopoly in the digital ad market.
Rumble claims that Google is able to keep a bigger portion of the money from advertising, leaving less for websites like Rumble and the content creators that use them.
“Google exploits significant conflicts of interest that stem from its multiple roles in this electronically traded marketplace,” the complaint states.
“As a result, it is able to pocket a supra-competitive portion of every advertising dollar that passes through the Ad Tech markets it controls.”
Previous legal actions
Rumble has previously pursued legal action against Google. Rumble filed a lawsuit against Google in 2021, claiming that the search engine’s preference for YouTube videos damaged Rumble’s exposure and earnings. In spite of Google’s efforts to get the lawsuit dismissed, the judge has allowed it to continue, thus the matter is still pending.
In its conflict with Google, Rumble is not acting alone. For the same reasons, the U.S. Department of Justice and many states have also filed lawsuits against Google, alleging that the firm is abusing its dominant position in the digital ad industry.
Google’s response
Google refuted Rumble’s assertions, saying that sites such as Rumble have plenty of options when it comes to utilizing advertising technologies.
A Google spokesperson said, “These claims are simply wrong. Platforms like Rumble have many options to choose from when it comes to using advertising technology to monetize. We’ll show the court how our advertising products benefit publishers and help them fund their content online.”
Image asset courtesy: Rumble