Brazil: Administrative Council for Economic Defence opened consultation on investigation into Google for alleged abuse of dominance in advertising sector

On 28 August 2025, the Administrative Council for Economic Defence (CADE) opened a consultation as part of an investigation into Google for alleged abuse of dominance in the advertising sector, until 29 September 2025. Originally, Google was alleged to have abused its dominant position in the advertising sector by implementing restrictive clauses into its contracts with advertisers, therefore restricting advertisers from using other search platforms, to self-preference its Google AdWords service. In 2019, CADE denied anti-competitive effects and no such restrictions. The inquiry invites civil society, including associations, class entities, third sector organisations, academics, and other interested parties, to forward technical and factual subsidies that could contribute to the analysis of the case. The points address the effects of changes in algorithms and artificial intelligence tools on news traffic, the remuneration of journalistic content, and the impact of the integration between search and digital advertising.