EU Hits Google With €2.95 Billion Fine Over Adtech Practices

According to Bloomberg, regulators accused the American tech giant of tilting the digital ads marketplace in its favor, disadvantaging advertisers, competitors, and online publishers. The Commission argued that Google’s control over multiple layers of the advertising supply chain — including the software used by both advertisers and publishers — created “inherent conflicts of interest.”

European Commission Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera stated, “Google must now come forward with a serious remedy to address its conflicts of interest, and if it fails to do so, we will not hesitate to impose strong remedies.” Per Bloomberg, officials said they would consider a structural breakup of Google’s ad technology operations if the company’s proposals prove insufficient.

The fine had been scheduled for announcement earlier in the week, but was delayed after Brussels’ trade chief Maroš Šefčovič intervened amid escalating tariff threats from the White House. Bloomberg noted that Washington has increasingly used tariffs and other punitive trade measures as leverage since Trump returned to office in January.

Read more: Google Ordered to Pay $425 Million Over Privacy Breach

Google has been given until early November — a 60-day window — to submit its plan to resolve the identified conflicts of interest. While regulators have not ruled out forcing divestitures, they emphasized they want to assess Google’s own proposals first.

The case stems from a 2023 charge sheet in which the Commission concluded that mandatory divestment of parts of Google’s adtech business might be the only viable solution to prevent the company from favoring its own services in the long run.

Source: Bloomberg