EU launches investigation against Google: it is suspected of manipulating advertising prices
The company could face a fine of up to 10% of global revenue
The European Commission saw irregularities in Google's auctions for advertising in the search bar / Photo: Twin Design / Shutterstock.com
Antitrust authorities of the European Union are investigating Google regarding the sale of advertising in search in Europe. This was reported by Bloomberg and Reuters with reference to a letter to advertisers.
Details
The European Commission stated that it has data indicating possible violations in the mechanism of auctions for the sale of advertising in Google search, writes Reuters. In particular, it is about the fact that "Google could artificially inflate the minimum price (clearing price), at which the winner of the auction is announced, thus causing damage to advertisers," the agency reports.
Such practices, if proven, could be a violation of antitrust rules punishable by a fine of up to 10 percent of global revenue, the regulator said in Brussels, as quoted by Bloomberg. The investigation is now at an early stage, but Competition Commissioner Theresa Ribera may soon announce it formally, the agency's sources said.
"The cost of advertising is determined by real-time auctions designed to show people the most relevant ads, taking into account factors such as advertiser competition and ad quality," Google said in comments to Bloomberg. The European Commission declined to comment to the agency.
Context
In September 2025, the EU fined Google almost €3 billion for abusing its dominant position in advertising technology. The European Commission said on September 5 that Google was giving an advantage to its own services for advertising and ordered the tech giant to stop this anti-competitive practice.
The amount of Google's fines in Europe is already €9.5 billion, Bloomberg calculated.
Shares of Alphabet, the holding company of Google, at the trading on February 12 cheapened within 0.1%. Their price has remained virtually unchanged since the beginning of 2026: down 0.6%. At the same time, over a period of 12 months, it soared by 67%. Most analysts advise buying Alphabet shares: they have 64 Buy and Overweight ratings versus only 11 Hold (recommendation to hold), MarketWatch shows.
This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor
