UK: European Union regulators have imposed a €2.95 billion ($3.5 billion) fine on Google for breaching the bloc’s competition rules by favoring its own digital advertising services.
The European Commission, the EU’s top antitrust authority, also ordered the U.S. tech giant to end its self-preferencing practices and address conflicts of interest across its advertising supply chain.
This marks the fourth multibillion-euro penalty levied against Google since 2017 as Brussels intensifies its crackdown on Big Tech dominance.
The decision drew sharp criticism from former U.S. President Donald Trump, who described the sanction as very unfair, accusing the EU of undermining American investments and jobs. Posting on Truth Social, Trump warned:
My Administration will not allow these discriminatory actions to stand.
According to the Commission, investigators found that Google abused its market power by prioritizing its own advertising technology to the detriment of rivals, advertisers, and publishers.
The ruling underscores ongoing tensions between Washington and Brussels over digital regulation, with U.S. tech firms increasingly in the crosshairs of Europe’s strict competition laws.
