EU antitrust official to monitor Google plans for ad-blocker

The EU’s competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, said on Thursday she will be keeping an eye on a potential feature Google has said it is considering that would block ads on Chrome, its widely used internet browser.

Ms Vestager said on Twitter: “We will follow this new feature and its effects closely”.

The tweet comes in response to news on Wednesday that Google was reviewing whether to introduce an ad-blocker in Chrome, which could raise questions about how the biggest digital advertising company exercises power over rivals in the online ad world. It could also draw attention from antitrust regulators like Ms Vestager — who has squared off in the past with Google over competition concerns — as the move would give the tech giant the ability to cut off revenue from rivals.