Google to meet EU deadline on Adtech overhaul, but stops short of full breakup
The offer, expected by early November, will reportedly avoid a complete divestiture of Google’s Ad Manager — which includes the AdX exchange and DoubleClick for Publishers.
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Tech giant Google will meet the European Union’s (EU) deadline to propose changes to its advertising technology (adtech) business, following a nearly USD 3.5 billion fine. However, according to media reports, the proposal will not include the full structural breakup that EU regulators and industry rivals had demanded.
The offer, expected by early November, will reportedly avoid a complete divestiture of Google’s Ad Manager — which includes the AdX exchange and DoubleClick for Publishers.
Following the announcement of the latest penalty, EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera suggested that only a divestment of certain adtech assets could restore fair competition in the sector. This month's fine was increased by 60% from earlier draft figures due to repeated violations, bringing Google’s total EU antitrust penalties to nearly £10 billion over the past decade. The company has stated its intention to appeal.
The European Commission fined Google €2.95 billion, accusing it of distorting competition in the digital advertising market by favoring its own services over those of competitors.
This latest penalty — one of the largest ever imposed on the American tech firm in Europe — focuses on Google's conduct in the online display advertising market. Regulators allege that the company abused its dominant position for over a decade by manipulating auctions and advertising tools to benefit its own exchange, AdX, to the detriment of publishers, advertisers, and rival adtech companies.
