The European Commission has imposed a €2.95 billion (about $3.5 billion) fine on Google for breaching EU antitrust laws. According to the Commission, Google abused its dominant position by giving preferential treatment to its ad exchange platform, AdX, within its publisher ad server and ad-buying tools. The regulator said the company has 60 days to end such self-preferencing practices and introduce measures that will address inherent conflicts of interest along the adtech supply chain.
Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera stressed that digital markets must be built on trust and fairness, noting that dominant players should not be allowed to abuse their power. She warned that if Google fails to come up with a credible remedy, stronger penalties would be enforced. The sanction, which is the EU’s second-largest against Google, follows a $5 billion fine issued in 2018.
Reacting, Google said it would appeal the ruling, arguing that its services offer competitive benefits to both ad buyers and sellers and that alternatives are widely available. The Wall Street Journal reported that the announcement of the fine, originally scheduled for September 1, was delayed due to ongoing trade deal negotiations between the EU and the U.S.
The decision has also stirred political reactions across the Atlantic. Former U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the move as unfair to American tech firms, threatening to launch a Section 301 investigation if such penalties persist. Meanwhile, Google appeared to gain ground in the U.S., where a federal judge ruled that though the company maintained an online search monopoly, remedies would fall short of forcing it to sell Chrome or Android, as sought by the Justice Department.