The European Commission has imposed a fine of 2.95B euros on 5 September 2025 on Google following a lengthy antitrust investigation into advertising technology practices. It concluded that the tech giant systematically favored its own services, resulting in reduced competition, increased costs for advertisers and publishers, and potential harm to European consumers.
Investigation began in June 2021 and formally advanced in 2023 after evidence indicated that the ad exchange service Google AdX and related publisher tools were prioritized over competitors. By leveraging its market dominance, it allegedly created structural imbalances that undermined competition and harmed the digital advertising ecosystem across the EU.
European officials emphasized that the penalty is intended not only to address past violations but also to deter future abuses. The European Commission noted that the conduct of Google increased operational costs for advertisers and publishers, while also contributing to higher consumer prices. Regulators framed the ruling as an important defense of fair market access.
Google strongly rejected the decision. Vice President Lee-Anne Mulholland described the fine as unjustified. The company warned that regulatory restrictions could undermine thousands of European businesses, disrupt digital advertising markets, and reduce revenues for publishers. It announced its intention to appeal the ruling before the EU General Court.
The Commission gave Google a deadline of 60 days to present remedies aimed at resolving conflicts of interest in its advertising operations. If regulators consider the proposals insufficient, structural remedies may follow. These could include the forced separation or divestiture of specific segments of the advertising technology infrastructure across Google.
It is worth mentioning that this latest development marks the fourth major antitrust penalty and fines imposed on Google in the EU in less than 10 years. Previous fines included a 4.3 billion euro penalty over Android practices in 2018, a 2.42 billion euro fine in 2017 involving its comparison shopping service, and a 1.49 billion euro sanction in 2019 due to ad practices.
The ruling also carries geopolitical implications, coinciding with fragile trade relations between the EU and the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the fine as discriminatory against American innovation and warned that retaliatory tariffs on European goods may follow, raising the risk of renewed economic confrontation between the two blocs.
Note that the ruling aligns with emerging global trends toward stricter regulation of dominant technology companies. Similar legal actions against Google are currently unfolding in the United States, where the company faces lawsuits alleging monopolistic behavior within the advertising technology sector and other areas of its digital business empire.
Photo Credit: The Pancake Heaven / Googleplex Headquarters / 2016 / Adapted / CC BY-SA 4.0