Brussels: The European Commission (EC) Friday imposed a EUR 2.95 billion ($3.5 billion) fine on Google for violating European Union (EU) competition rules by favoring its own digital advertising services. The penalty marks a significant move by the EC to address antitrust concerns within the digital marketplace.
According to Qatar News Agency, the EC, the executive arm of the 27-nation European Union, ordered the US tech giant to cease its practice of favoring its own services. The Commission also mandated Google to take steps to eliminate "conflicts of interest" throughout its advertising technology supply chain.
In response to the ruling, Google announced its intention to appeal the decision. The company argued that the fine was unjustified and that the required changes would adversely affect thousands of European companies, making it more challenging for them to generate profits.
In a related development, it is noteworthy that in September 2024, an EU court overturned a EUR 1.49 billion ($1.65 billion) fine imposed by the Commission on Google for abusing its dominant position in online advertising.
Between 2017 and 2019, the EU had also imposed EUR 8.2 billion in fines on the company for violating antitrust laws, highlighting the ongoing regulatory scrutiny faced by Google in the European market.