Turkey Fines Google $75 Million for Antitrust Violations in Ad Services

Turkey’s competition authority has imposed a fine of 2.61 billion lira ($75 million) on Alphabet Inc.’s Google, accusing the tech giant of abusing its dominance in the ad server services market, according to a statement released on Friday.

The antitrust body determined that Google gave preferential treatment to its own supply-side platform (SSP) services, making it more challenging for competitors to operate effectively. The regulator emphasized that this practice harmed competition in the sector.

To address these concerns, the authority has directed Google to make significant changes to its business practices. Within six months, the company must ensure a level playing field by offering third-party SSPs conditions comparable to those applied to its own services.

Read more: European Sites Criticize Google’s Compliance Efforts with DMA

This latest fine follows broader global scrutiny of Google’s business operations. In the United States, a federal judge recently ruled that Google’s search engine constitutes an illegal monopoly. Meanwhile, European regulators have been probing Google’s advertising partnership with Meta, signaling growing international attention to its market practices.

Turkey’s competition watchdog has taken a strong stance against Google in the past. In June, the board fined the company 482 million lira over its hotel search service. At the time, the regulator stated that Google’s dominant position in the general search services market was being used to hinder competitors.