07:10 AM EST, 12/10/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Alphabet's (GOOG) Google ( GOOG ) and Meta (META) are under growing scrutiny by the European Commission about 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 reportedly asked Alphabet in October to provide internal data, emails, and presentations related to the campaign, which the company has compiled and presented to officials and officials are considering whether to launch a formal investigation, according to the report.

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.

The European Commission and Meta did not immediately respond to requests for comment from MT Newswires.

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