Google proposes adtech changes to avoid breakup after EU fine

Core Points - Google announced changes to its advertising services to avoid a breakup following a significant antitrust fine from the European Commission [1][2] - The European Commission imposed a €2.95 billion ($3.43 billion) fine on Google for favoring its own services, giving the company 60 days to address the issues [2] - Google plans to implement immediate product changes, including allowing publishers to set varying minimum prices for different bidders using Google Ad Manager [9] Summary by Sections Antitrust Fine and Response - The European Commission fined Google €2.95 billion ($3.43 billion) in September for anti-competitive practices, specifically for favoring its own services in online advertising [2] - Google intends to appeal the fine while also proposing changes to its advertising practices to comply with the EU's demands [2][3] Proposed Changes - Google's proposed changes include increasing the interoperability of its tools for publishers and advertisers, aiming to resolve the EU's concerns about conflicts of interest [9] - The company stated that its proposal addresses the EU's decision without leading to a disruptive breakup that could negatively impact European publishers and advertisers [3] Ongoing Scrutiny - The European Commission has initiated a new investigation into Google under digital competition rules, suspecting the company of unfairly disadvantaging certain news outlets in search rankings [4] - Google is also facing scrutiny in the United States regarding its advertising practices, with a federal judge previously ruling against the company in a related case [5] Historical Context - The EU has previously fined Google multiple times, including €4.1 billion in 2018 for abusing its market dominance with the Android operating system and €2.4 billion in 2017 for anti-competitive practices in the price comparison market [10]