News Summary

The European Commission has imposed a fine of €2.95 billion (approximately $3.5 billion) on Google, citing violations of European Union antitrust rules. The commission accused Google of abusing its dominant position in the digital advertising technology market by favoring its own ad exchange AdX in both its publisher ad server and ad-buying tools. Google has been given 60 days to rectify these practices and address inherent conflicts of interest in the adtech supply chain. In response, Google announced plans to appeal the decision, arguing that its services are competitively neutral. This fine represents the EU’s second-largest antitrust penalty against Google, following a $5 billion fine in 2018. The case highlights ongoing tensions between EU regulators and major tech companies over market dominance and competitive practices.