The European regulators are about to finalize their third case against Google’s parent company Alphabet regarding the search engine’s AdSense advertising service, Europe’s Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager confirmed. Google’s last antitrust investigation by the EU is “approaching the end,” EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager told reporters. “I’m very careful not to give specific deadlines but we are approaching the end also of that investigation,“ she said. “It’s very difficult to say when we will be done because very often when we think we’re in the last stages, something will happen that will delay us.“
The comments come four months after she levied a record 4.34 billion euro fine against the Silicon Valley-based company for using its Android mobile operating system to block competitors. That followed a 2.4 billion euro fine imposed on the company in 2017 over shopping comparison websites. The EU Commission initiated the anti-trust third case two years ago where it accused Google of using its AdSense product to prevent its rivals from displaying search advertisements from Google’s competitors.
Ms. Vestager can fine firms up to 10 percent of their global turnover for breaching EU rules. Meanwhile, the American tech company denies these charges. Alphabet Inc. is a multinational conglomerate headquartered in Mountain View, California. It was created through a corporate restructuring of Google and became its parent company along with a few former subsidiaries. Alphabet’s portfolio ranges from technology through life sciences, investment capital and research.
