Google is facing another bout of crosshairs with the European Union. On September 5, EU regulators hit Google with a $3.5B (€2.95B) fine regarding an antitrust charge for its digital advertising services. This is the fourth time the EU is laying antitrust charges against Google.
What’s the Story?
It all formally started in June 2021, when the EU launched an investigation against Google for anticompetitive conduct in the adtech sector. In June 2023, the commission sent a “Statement of Objections” to Google, to which the company responded in December 2023.
On September 5, the EU found Google guilty of manipulating its digital advertising services. At the heart of it, EU regulators say Google was giving its own tools a “sweetheart deal.” This meant favoring such tools (AdX) over rivals in its publisher ad servers and ad-buying platforms.
Basically, Google is serving as the referee, player, and scoreboard, all in the field of digital advertising, which is hardly fair. This move has led to reduced competition, limited innovation, and inflated costs for businesses that rely on online advertising.
In an official statement by the EU, Google has also been mandated by the commission within 60 days to “bring these self-preferencing practices to an end” and “implement measures to cease its inherent conflicts of interest along the adtech supply chain.”
“Today’s decision shows that Google abused its dominant position in adtech, harming publishers, advertisers, and consumers. This behavior is illegal under EU antitrust rules,” said Teresa Ribera, Executive VP for Clean, Just, and Competitive Transition.
“Google must now come forward with a remedy to address its conflict of interest, and if it fails to do so, we will not hesitate to impose strong remedies. Digital markets exist to serve people and must be grounded in trust and fairness,” she further said in her statement.
It is important to note that Google has also faced and lost to similar charges from the U.S. Department of Justice in April 2025.
Google’s Response
Google isn’t taking the allegations lying down. A Google spokesperson fired back, saying, “There’s nothing anticompetitive in providing services for ad buyers and sellers, and there are more alternatives to our services than ever before.”
If history is any guide, Google will be launching an appeal against the ruling, which will probably drag on for years. A prime example is the 2018 Android fine case, which took years and multiple rounds of litigation before a final settlement was reached.
A Pattern of Big Fines
The EU has levied a series of large fines against Google since 2017 for antitrust violations. In 2017, Google was fined over €2.8B for favoring its own shopping comparison service. Later in 2018, the commission fined Google over €4.34B over Android pre-installation practices.
The preceding fine before this current case was in 2019, when the EU fined Google €1.49B for restricting rival online search advertising.
Reactions and Broader Impact
Given the EU’s track record against Google, some might as well perceive it as a personal vendetta (although it kind of makes sense with the proofs and all). One particular party has been quite vocal about his displeasure regarding this recent case, and it’s none other than President Donald Trump.
The US President took to the Truth Social Post, saying, “Europe today hit another great American company, Google, with a $3.5 fine, effectively taking money that would otherwise go to American investments and jobs.”
“This is on top of the many other fines and taxes that have been issued against Google and other American tech companies, in particular. Very unfair, and the American taxpayer will not stand for it! As I have said before, my administration will NOT allow these discriminatory actions to stand,” he further stated.
For U.S. tech companies, Europe often feels like a battleground where legal challenges never stop. But for EU regulators, the message is simple: Big Tech should play fair or pay up. The case is far from over, and the coming months will show just how far of an impact it will have on Google and the US-EU relationship.
