EU Slams Google with Record €2.95B Fine for Adtech Market Domination
Brussels drops the hammer—again.
Google just got slapped with another massive EU penalty, this time hitting €2.95 billion for anti-competitive behavior in the digital advertising space. The tech giant’s grip on adtech remains a major concern for regulators.
Ad dominance under fire
European authorities claim Google abused its market position to stifle rivals and manipulate ad pricing. The fine reflects persistent frustration with Big Tech’s unchecked influence—and a clear signal that enforcement isn’t slowing down.
Another costly chapter
This isn’t Google’s first rodeo with EU antitrust charges. Previous fines totaled over €8 billion, yet critics argue penalties alone won’t reshape market dynamics. Real change requires structural shifts—not just financial slaps on the wrist.
Meanwhile, in crypto land, decentralized ad networks are quietly brewing. No fines, no central control—just code and consent. Maybe traditional adtech should take notes.
Another day, another billion-dollar fine. At this point, it’s just a cost of doing business—like a corporate sin tax for being too good at winning.
EU orders Google to stop conflicts of interest
In a direct order, the Commission told Google to end what it called self-preferencing behavior and take real steps to remove conflicts of interest inside its ad tech business. The company now has 60 days to come up with changes that will convince regulators it’s serious.
If not, the EU says more penalties are coming. EU competition chief Teresa Ribera didn’t mince words. She said Friday that “Google abused its dominant position in adtech, harming publishers, advertisers, and consumers. This behaviour is illegal under EU antitrust rules.”
She added that Google must “come forward with a serious remedy,” warning, “if it fails to do so, we will not hesitate to impose strong remedies.”
The case is focused on display ads, the visual banners and boxes that show up across millions of websites. These ads pass through multiple layers of technology, and the EU says Google built and controlled too many of those layers.
According to the regulators, Google created a system that worked best only if companies used all its products, keeping competitors out.
Google says the ruling is wrong and will appeal
Google says the EU is completely off base. Lee-Anne Mulholland, the company’s global head of regulatory affairs, said Friday that the decision is “wrong” and confirmed that Google will appeal the ruling.
“It imposes an unjustified fine and requires changes that will hurt thousands of European businesses by making it harder for them to make money,” she said. “There’s nothing anticompetitive in providing services for ad buyers and sellers, and there are more alternatives to our services than ever before.”
The investigation started back in 2021, when the Commission first opened a case to look into whether Google’s tools gave it an unfair edge over competitors. The concern was that the company’s tools on both the buying and selling sides of the ad chain could be working together behind the scenes — cutting out other players and pushing more money into Google’s own pockets.
One major focus was how Google’s exchange, the middleman for matching ads with websites, prioritized bids from its own buying tools and gave better access to its own publisher platform. That type of setup made it harder for other ad tech companies to compete on a level playing field.
Reuters had reported earlier this week that the European Commission had delayed announcing the fine while waiting for the U.S. to reduce tariffs on European cars. According to that report, regulators held off until they saw movement on a broader EU–U.S. trade deal.
That deal, aimed at easing transatlantic tensions, appears to have cleared the way for the fine to MOVE forward. Once that happened, the Commission moved quickly, hitting Google with the billions on Friday.
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