EU competition authorities today launched an investigation into a deal between Google and Facebook for online advertising services.The goal of the antimonopolists is to check whether the transaction violates the rules of competition.

The European Commission said the investigation will focus on a 2018 deal between Facebook and Google, dubbed Jedi Blue, that could thwart ad tech competitors and limit competition.

“The so-called ‘Jedi Blue’ agreement between Google and Meta may have been intended to weaken and remove from the market the display of advertising on websites and apps by publishers of technology that competes with Google’s Open Bidding technology,” the regulator said in a statement.

The British Competition Authority is also looking into the deal.The EU competition authority has said it intends to work closely with its British counterpart.

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