Google is being fined 220 million euros by France’s antitrust watchdog for abusing its ‘dominant’ position in online advertising.
The head of the authority, Isabelle de Silva, said the decision was unprecedented in the way that it delved into the complex algorithmic auctions that power Google’s online display advertising business.
She said, the fine, along with Google’s commitment to changing its practices, “will make it possible to re-establish a level playing field for all players, and the ability for publishers to make the most of their advertising space.
Google, based in Mountain View, California, did not dispute the facts and opted to settle after proposing some changes, according to a prepared statement from the Competition Authority.
Google France’s legal director, Maria Gomri, said in a blog post Monday that Google has been collaborating for the past two years with the French watchdog on issues related to ad technology, notably the platform known as Google Ad Manager.
She wrote that commitments made during negotiations would “make it easier for publishers to make use of data and use our tools with other ad technologies.”
The French authority’s investigation was prompted by complaints from Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., French newspaper group Le Figaro and Belgium-based Rossel La Voix. Le Figaro later withdrew its complaint.
U.S. tech giants have been facing intensifying scrutiny in Europe and elsewhere over their business practices.
Germany became the latest country to launch an investigation of Google, using stepped up powers to scrutinize digital giants.
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