EU Slaps Google with $3.5 Billion Antitrust Fine: A Breakthrough Ruling

The European Union fined Google $3.5 billion for antitrust violations, accusing it of favoring its own advertising services. The EU demanded changes to prevent conflicts of interest in Google's ad tech supply chain. Google plans to appeal, arguing the penalty will negatively impact European businesses.

The European Union regulators have imposed a massive 2.95 billion euro ($3.5 billion) penalty on Google for antitrust violations, marking the technology giant's fourth such fine. EU authorities accused Google of bias towards its own digital advertising services, highlighting persistent concerns over the company's practices.

This decision, made by the European Commission, the EU's executive branch and chief antitrust enforcer, obliges Google to halt its 'self-preferencing practices' and take measures to eliminate 'conflicts of interest' in its advertising technology chain. The move represents a significant step in the EU's ongoing efforts to regulate big tech companies.

Google has expressed strong disagreement with the ruling, describing it as baseless and harmful to European businesses. Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google's global head of regulatory affairs, announced the company's intent to appeal the decision, citing the impact on thousands of European businesses.

(With inputs from agencies.)