European Commission Investigates Alleged Violation of Google's Minor Protection Rules

The European Commission has launched an investigation into a secret advertising partnership between Google Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc., according to the Financial Times. The partnership, which aimed to promote Instagram to teenagers through YouTube ads, may have violated Google's rules for protecting minors online.

In October, regulators requested Alphabet Inc., Google's parent company, to provide internal data, emails, and presentations related to this campaign. This request comes amid the EU's broader scrutiny of social media companies.

The partnership, initially revealed in an earlier Financial Times report, allowed ads to reach users labeled as "unknown," a group that reportedly included many minors. These users were identified as skewing under 18 and described as a way to "hack" safeguards.