10:18 AM EST, 12/10/2024 (MT Newswires) -- (Updates with a statement from the European Commission in the second paragraph.)

Alphabet's (GOOG) Google ( GOOG ) and Meta (META) are under growing scrutiny by the European Commission about an alleged secret advertising partnership that reportedly bypassed Google's ( GOOG ) policies on minors, The Financial Times reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

European regulators asked Google ( GOOG ) for information related to advertising practices, which the company has compiled and officials are "currently assessing the replies and deciding on potential next steps," a spokesperson for the European Commission told MT Newswires in an email.

The report said Google's ( GOOG ) internal probe found some employees helped Meta in targeting users identified as "unknown," a group Google ( GOOG ) knew to be under 18, which violated the company's prohibition on ad personalization for minors.

"We've held updated internal trainings to ensure our sales teams remain aware of our policies and technical protections," a Google ( GOOG ) spokesperson told MT Newswires in an emailed statement. "The safeguards we have to protect teens, like prohibiting ad personalization, are industry leading and continue to work," the spokesperson added.

Meta did not immediately respond to requests for comment from MT Newswires.

(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)

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