EU fines Google $3.5B over adtech ‘abuse’

The European Commission announced this week that it is fining Google 2.95 billion euros (less than $ 3.5 billion).

The committee found that Google has violated the anti -monopoly rules in the European Union by preferring its advertising services. Specifically, the committee said that Google “has offended” its dominant positions “by preferring ADX ADX in both the publisher ads sermons and in its advertising purchase tools.

The committee also said that Google has 60 days “to bring these practices that somewhat prevent self” and “to implement measures to stop its interest in interest along the Adtech supply chain.”

“Google must now progress with a serious treatment to address her conflicts in interests, and if she fails to do so, we will not hesitate to impose strong treatments,” Theresa Ribera, Deputy CEO of the Commission for Clean, Fair and Competitive Transition, said in a statement. “There are digital markets to serve people and must be based on confidence and fairness. When the markets fail, public institutions must work to prevent dominant players from misuse their strength.”

In response, a Google spokesman told Wall Street Journal that the company will resume the committee’s decision, adding: “There is nothing anti -competition in providing services to advertising buyers and sellers, and there are more alternatives to our services more than ever.”

WSJ stated that this announcement was delayed from the date of its plan on September 1, due to the concerns of the European Union and the ongoing negotiations of the United States on a possible trade deal.

This is the second largest fine for monopoly in the European Union ever (a fine of $ 5 billion against Google in 2018). The decision has not been criticized not only by Google, but also by US president Donald Trump, who complained in a social publication of the truth about “many other fines and taxes that were issued against Google and other American technology companies” like Apple.

“We cannot let this happen for the wonderful and unprecedented American creativity, and if so, I will be forced to start the 301th section to clarify the unfair sanctions that are directed to these US -paid American companies,” Trump said.

The President hosted a televised dinner on Thursday, with technology executives, including Google Sundar Pichai, and the founder of Google Sergey Breen, Trump’s policies, especially about artificial intelligence.

Meanwhile, Google seemed to have recorded a victory for anti -monopoly in the United States this week. Although a federal judge previously spent that the company had acted illegally to maintain the monopoly of online research, his treatments were much lower than the company’s Ministry of Justice’s proposals to sell chrome and perhaps even Android.