EU fines Google €2.95 billion for distorting competition in adtech
The European Commission has fined Google €2.95 billion for abusing its dominant position in adtech. Between 2014 and today, the Commission found that Google systematically favored its own services, harming rival ad exchanges, advertisers, and publishers. The decision cites both the gravity and duration of the conduct and Google’s prior antitrust infringements to calibrate the penalty.
According to the decision, Google’s publisher ad server (DFP) shared competitors’ bid data with Google’s exchange (AdX), enabling AdX to outbid rivals and win auctions. In parallel, Google’s buying tools (Google Ads and DV360) were designed to route bidding primarily through AdX. These practices reinforced AdX’s central role in the supply chain and disadvantaged competing exchanges.
The Commission concluded that these strategies intentionally conferred an undue advantage on AdX, likely foreclosing competing exchanges and enabling higher fees. Google has been ordered to cease self-preferencing and address structural conflicts across its adtech stack. The company has 60 days to propose effective compliance measures.
Failure to present adequate remedies could trigger further Commission action, including behavioral commitments or structural measures such as divestiture of adtech assets. The finding also resonates with parallel US litigation, where a remedies trial is scheduled for 22 September 2025, underscoring growing transatlantic scrutiny of vertically integrated adtech models.
