Janice R. Andrews
The European Commission is intensifying its review of Google and Meta over claims they targeted Instagram ads at minors on YouTube, violating advertising rules. As reported by the Financial Times, EU regulators are examining evidence from Google’s internal investigation, dubbed “Tangerine Owl,” which includes emails, presentations, and internal chats.
The issue came to light in August when the FT revealed that Google employees facilitated ad targeting for Meta using a category called “unknown,” which included a significant number of under-18 users. Despite Google’s ban on advertising to minors, the companies, in partnership with Spark Foundry, tested this program in Canada before expanding it to the U.S.
Plans to extend the initiative further were abandoned following public exposure, but the Commission is now working to determine if the collaboration violated EU advertising laws. While additional information was requested in October, no formal investigation has been launched yet.
This isn’t the first time Google and Meta have faced scrutiny over their ad practices. Both were subjects of antitrust probes in 2022 by the European Commission and the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority, though those cases were eventually closed.
The ongoing review highlights the EU’s commitment to safeguarding minors from questionable advertising practices. Google and Meta have yet to respond to the latest developments.
