Google Fined $3.46 Billion for Antitrust Violations, Trump Calls for an Immediate End to the Practice

The European Commission fined Alphabet Inc.'s Google $3.46 billion for violating antitrust rules by unfairly promoting its own advertising technology services. The Commission found that Google held a dominant position in the European markets for publisher ad servers and programmatic ad buying, and abused this dominance by favouring its own services. President Donald Trump said the fine was unfair and that the money could have gone to American investments and jobs.

Title: EU Fines Google $3.46 Billion for Antitrust Violations in Advertising

The European Commission has imposed a $3.46 billion fine on Alphabet Inc.'s Google for violating antitrust rules in the advertising sector. The penalty, announced on September 2, 2025, is the latest in a series of regulatory actions targeting Google's dominance in digital advertising.

The Commission found that Google abused its dominant position in the European markets for publisher ad servers and programmatic ad buying by favoring its own advertising technology services. This practice, known as self-preferencing, has been criticized for creating an uneven playing field and harming competitors and online publications.

Google was ordered to stop favoring its own services and resolve conflicts of interest within 60 days, with another 30 days allocated for implementation. The company has 60 days to submit a plan to address the issues raised by the Commission, after which the regulator may impose further measures, including the sale of part of the business.

The European Publishers Council has called for more decisive action, including a forced breakup of Google, to address the company's dominance. However, Google has vowed to appeal the decision, arguing that the fine is unjustified and that it will hurt thousands of European businesses.

This fine is part of a broader trend of antitrust actions against Google in Europe. It is the company's fourth such penalty in the past 10 years and has contributed to ongoing trade tensions between the United States and the European Union. U.S. President Donald Trump has criticized the decision, stating that the money could have been used for American investments and jobs. He has threatened to invoke Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act to retaliate against the EU.

Google's dominance in digital advertising is significant. In 2024, the company's advertising revenue, including search, Gmail, Google Play, Google Maps, YouTube, and other services, totaled $264.6 billion, representing 75.6% of its total revenue. The company does not disclose revenue from adtech, the technologies and platforms it uses to display advertisements on other sites.

In the United States, Google is facing a separate case where the Justice Department is investigating the company's illegal dominance of online advertising technology. The company is due to go to court on September 22, 2025, in this case.

The fine is the second largest antitrust penalty ever imposed on Google by the EU, following a $5 billion fine in 2018. The Commission has signaled that it may take more severe measures if Google does not comply with the requirements.

References:
[1] https://babel.ua/en/news/121204-eu-fines-google-over-3-billion-for-violating-antitrust-rules-in-advertising-trump-threatens-retaliation
[2] https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/google-hit-35-billion-fine-european-union-ad-125295028
[3] https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/06/eu-fines-google-3-5b-over-adtech-abuse/