"European Union regulators have already fined Google billions for violating the Digital Markets Act, and being found guilty of anticompetitive behavior in online advertising could add to that total. While the Commission has yet to announce a formal investigation, Bloomberg writes that it has started contacting Google's customers and competitors for information about its dominance across multiple online advertising markets."
"If the company is found to be violating the EU's competition rules, Google could be fined 10 percent of its global annual sales. Google's approach to advertising to minors was reportedly already under investigation by the EU as of December 2024, and besides fines, regulators have ordered the company to open up Android to competing AI assistants and share search data with rivals."
The European Commission has opened a probe into Google's large online advertising business and has begun contacting customers and competitors for information about market dominance. Regulators are investigating whether Google artificially increases clearing prices in ad auctions to the detriment of advertisers. Violations of EU competition rules could trigger fines up to 10 percent of global annual sales. The EU had already been investigating Google's advertising approach to minors and ordered measures such as opening Android to competing AI assistants and sharing search data. A US federal judge found Google a monopolist in online advertising in April 2025. The US Department of Justice seeks divestiture of Google's ad tech business, while final remedies remain undecided.
Read at Engadget
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