Google faces £5 billion UK lawsuit over ad tech practices

Google is now facing a £5 billion ($5.64 billion) collective action lawsuit in the UK for allegedly abusing its dominance in the search advertising space—yet another flashpoint in mounting regulatory pressure on Big Tech.

Filed by competition law expert Or Brook and spearheaded by law firm Geradin Partners, the claim asserts that Google's long-standing grip on the digital ad market has come at a steep cost to UK advertisers—billions of pounds, to be exact. The suit alleges that Google’s exclusionary business practices, from restrictive browser defaults to preferential treatment for its own ad tools, have choked competition and inflated ad prices.

This isn't just a legal skirmish, it’s a broader warning shot to dominant players in the digital economy. As regulators in the EU, UK, and US scrutinize Google’s ad tech empire, this case underscores the increasing appetite for holding tech giants accountable for anti-competitive conduct.

Advertisers that used Google’s ad services between 2011 and now could be eligible for damages, potentially rewriting the rules for how digital ad giants operate in competitive markets.

While Google dismissed the case as “speculative and opportunistic,” it comes at a time when regulators are deep into investigations over similar concerns. In the UK, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has raised red flags over Google’s alleged favoritism of its own ad tech tools. Meanwhile, the European Commission’s probe into Google’s ad practices is gaining momentum.