Google and Meta Face Penalties for Anti-Competitive Behavior in South Africa
South Africa finds Google & Meta anti-competitive, risking digital news and ads.
Matilda
Google and Meta Face Penalties for Anti-Competitive Behavior in South Africa
In a landmark decision, South Africa's Competition Commission has found Google and Meta guilty of anti-competitive practices that have harmed the country's news media industry. The provisional findings of a probe into the tech giants' market activities reveal that Google's search algorithm favors global news sources over local ones, while Meta (Facebook and Instagram) and X (formerly Twitter) have been deprioritizing South African news posts. This ruling could have significant implications for how these companies operate in South Africa and potentially set a precedent for other countries seeking to regulate the dominance of Big Tech. Let's delve deeper into the details of the case and what it means for the future of online news. Google's Algorithm Under Scrutiny The Competition Commission's report highlights a concerning bias in Google's search results. It states that the algorithm disproportionately promotes global news outlets, often overshadowing local …
