France Dings Google With 150M Euro Anti-Competition Fine

The competition authority in France has fined search engine company Google 150 million euros ($167 million) for its anti-competitive actions, as well as its advertisement placement behavior on its Google Ads page, according to a report by CNBC.

The latest fine comes in an environment of increased scrutiny of big tech over a litany of issues, including data privacy, monopolistic behavior and anti-competitive behavior. Apple, Facebook, Google and Amazon have all been in the cross-hairs of regulators around the globe, and several probes by the U.S. government are happening as well.

This isn’t the first time that Google has paid a fine in France. In September, the search giant was fined almost 1 million euros to authorities in the country to take care of a probe regarding fiscal fraud. That investigation lasted four years. 

Google has also been under the microscope by other regulators besides France for what it promotes in search results and ads.

In other Google news, The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is looking into Google’s online shopping conduct as part of its broader antitrust probe.

Richard Stables, the CEO of London-based online shopping comparison site Kelkoo Group, said he spent time with DOJ officials to talk about how Alphabet — Google’s parent company — allegedly damages his business.

Stables said he also met with congressional staff members in the House and Senate earlier this week.

Antitrust enforcers are now probing how Google competes in the eCommerce comparison market as the overall investigations continue.

A DOJ spokesman said that the department has had “numerous productive meetings with third parties.”

Stables said he was concerned that Google could “squash not just other European comparison sites, but also travel companies, searches for local businesses and services, and other firms in the U.S.”

A September blog post by Google Senior Vice President of Global Affairs and Chief Legal Officer Kent Walker indicated Google promised to cooperate with antitrust officials.

“We have answered many questions on these issues over many years, in the United States as well as overseas, across many aspects of our business, so this is not new for us,” Walker said. “The DOJ has asked us to provide information about these past investigations, and we expect state attorneys general will ask similar questions. We have always worked constructively with regulators, and we will continue to do so.”