Secret Google programme that used data from past bids in the company’s digital advertising and allegedly gave its own ad buying system an advantage

Question for written answer  E-001979/2021
to the Commission
Rule 138
Carmen Avram (S&D)

For years, Google operated a secret programme that allegedly used data from past bids in the company’s digital advertising exchange[1] to give its own ad buying system an advantage over competitors[2][3].

The programme, known as Project Bernanke[4], was not disclosed to publishers who sold ads through Google’s ad buying systems[5]. Court documents filed in a Texas antitrust lawsuit show that it generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for the company annually. Texas alleges that the project gave Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., an unfair competitive advantage over its rivals[6].

The documents filed were part of Google’s initial response to the Texas‑led antitrust lawsuit[7], which was filed in December 2020 and accused the search company of running a digital ad monopoly that harmed both ad industry competitors and publishers.

• 1.Is the Commission aware of Project Bernanke and how it allegedly used data from past bids in Google’s digital advertising exchange to give its own ad buying system an advantage?
• 2.Will this affect ongoing Google antitrust cases and the current remedies monitored by the Commission relating to the auctioning of search results displayed by Google on its search page?
• 3.Can the Commission explain its latest assessment of the Google Shopping antitrust case and say how the remedies are working for Google rivals in terms of traffic and clicks towards their websites?

• [1] https://mlexmarketinsight.com/news-hub/editors-picks/area-of-expertise/antitrust/google-acknowledges-it-foresaw-possibility-of-probe-of-jedi-blue-advertising-deal-with-facebook
• [2] https://www.wsj.com/articles/googles-secret-project-bernanke-revealed-in-texas-antitrust-case-11618097760
• [3] https://twitter.com/lewis_crofts/status/1381139808169439232
• [4] https://www.wsj.com/articles/googles-secret-project-bernanke-revealed-in-texas-antitrust-case-11618097760
• [5] https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/11/22378296/google-secret-project-bernanke-ad-buying-competitors-texas
• [6] https://www.wsj.com/articles/states-sue-google-over-digital-ad-practices-11608146817
• [7] https://www.wsj.com/articles/states-sue-google-over-digital-ad-practices-11608146817