LONDON (AP) — European Union regulators on Friday hit Google with a 2.95 billion euro ($3.5 billion) fine for breaching the bloc’s competition rules by favoring its own digital advertising services, marking the fourth such antitrust penalty for the company.
The European Commission, the 27-nation bloc’s executive branch and top antitrust enforcer, also ordered the U.S. tech giant to end its “self-preferencing practices” and take steps to stop “conflicts of interest” along the advertising technology supply chain.
EU regulators had previously threatened a breakup of the company but held off on that threat for the time being.
Google said the decision was “wrong” and that it would appeal.
“It imposes an unjustified fine and requires changes that will hurt thousands of European businesses by