Google fined $268M in French antitrust case, will change ad practices

Google has been fined nearly $270 million by French authorities for abusing its market power in the digital advertising sector.

As part of the first-of-its-kind settlement agreement announced by the French Competition Authority Monday, Google also agreed to change some of its advertising practices to make it easier for competitors to use its online ad tools as a result of the agreement.

Google’s commitment to change its practices is binding for three years, the regulators said.

The French investigation found that Google unfairly sent digital advertising business to its own services and discriminated against the competition.

Specifically, the investigation found that Google gave preferential treatment to its own advertising server, DFP, and its online ad auction house, AdX, in part by providing information about rival bids.

“These very serious practices have penalized competition in the emerging online advertising market, and have enabled Google not only to preserve but also to increase its dominant position,” Isabelle de Silva, president of the French Competition Authority, said in a statement.

“This sanction and these commitments will make it possible to re-establish a level playing field for all actors, and the ability of publishers to make the most of their advertising spaces,” she added.

Google’s promises to change its practices are only binding in France, but Maria Gomri, Google’s legal director in France, said in a blog post that Google will be testing its changes “over the coming months before rolling them out more broadly, including some globally.”

“We have agreed on a set of commitments to make it easier for publishers to make use of data and use our tools with other ad technologies,” Gomri said. “We’re committed to working collaboratively with regulators and investing in new products and technologies that give publishers more choice and better results when using our platforms,” she said.

The French investigation came after News Corp., which is the parent company of The Post, French newspaper Le Figaro and the Belgian press group Rossel filed a complaint against Google in 2019.

The settlement reflects a broader wave of antitrust interest against big tech companies in recent weeks.

Last week, the European Union and the United Kingdom both announced they were opening antitrust investigations into Facebook. The EU has also filed antitrust charges against Apple and Amazon. The companies have disputed the charges.