European Commission to probe Google’s €123bn digital advertising business
Google has entered hot advertising waters again as EU antitrust regulators are set to open another probe against the tech giant, according to reports.
European Commission investigators will look into digital advertising practices at Google, owned by parent company Alphabet.
The move is likely to come before the end of the year, which could threaten a hefty portion of Google’s revenue – as online ads raked in around €123bn last year – more than any other company in the world.
Google, which own YouTube and Gmail, earns most of its ad revenue from each of its online assets.
While around 16 per cent of Google’s revenue came from its display or network business, in which other media companies use Google technology to sell ads on their website and apps.
The EU competition watchdog has dished out around €8.25bn in fines to Google over the last 10 years.
The latest, was at the beginning of the month when Google agreed to pay €220m to settle a French investigation.
The French Competition Authority said the tech giant had been unfairly sending business to its advertising server and its online advertising auction house, at an unfair advantage to its rivals.