WASHINGTON: The newly revoked document from the state-led antimonopolic lawsuit against Google accused the giants to search colluding with Facebook rivals to manipulate online advertising sales.
The CEO of the two companies was aware of the agreement and signed, the lawsuit accused.
The original lawsuit was replaced, submitted in December 2021, accusing Google “anti-competitive behavior” and cooperated with the giant social networking.
But the unlinked version offers details about the involvement of CEO of Alphabet Sundar Pichai and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in approving the agreement.
Facebook since changing its own name meta.
According to the lawsuit, Facebook Chief Operating Officer, Sheryl Sandberg, is “explicit that this is a strategic big problem ‘” in the 2018 e-mail utas about the agreement which includes Facebook CEO.
While Facebook’s executive names are still removed in the settings, their title is visible.
When both parties hammered the provisions of the agreement, “The team sent an email addressed directly to the CEO of” Zuckerberg, a lawsuit.
“We are almost ready to sign and need your approval to move and need your agreement to move forward,” The email is read, according to complaints.
Zuckerberg wants to meet with Sandberg and his other executives before making a decision, stating the situation.
In a statement, Google spokesman Peter Schottennels said the lawsuit was “full of inaccuracies and lack of ability.” In September 2018, complaints said, the two companies signed an agreement.
Sandberg, who used to head Google advertising business, and Pichai personally signed an agreement, per American complaint.
Meta spokesman Chris Sgro said Friday that Friday the company advertising agreement with Google and similar agreements he had with other offer platforms “has helped improve competition for advertising placements.” “This business relationship allows meta to provide more value to advertisers while the publisher is quite compensated, producing better results for all,” SGRO said.
Internally, Google uses the code phrase “Jedi Blue” to refer to the 2018 agreement, according to the lawsuit.
Google saves this secret code phrase.
Google Schottentlyfels said the allegations of the lawsuit that Pichai agreed to an agreement with Facebook “inaccurate.” “We signed hundreds of agreements every year that did not require CEO’s approval, and this was no different,” he said, adding that the agreement “was never a secret.” The lawsuit was led by the Attorney General Texas Ken Paxton and joined Lawyers General Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota and Utah.