The European Commission is launching an investigation into Google to determine whether the search giant has violated antitrust rules by favoring its advertising activity in the online advertising auctions it runs.
Google has suffered from antitrust lawsuits for years for its advertising technology and industry dominance in the United States, but now it looks like the same could happen in Europe. The European Commission said Tuesday that it will scan Google for signs of "possible anti-competitive behavior" in its advertising activity.
The investigation will examine "whether Google is distorting competition by restricting third party access to user data for advertising purposes on websites and applications, while reserving that data for its own use." The investigation has no set deadline, according to CNBC, but if evidence of wrongdoing is found, it could result in a hefty fine.
Noting that advertising is central to Google's business, Google's data collection, and how it sells advertising space and acts as an intermediary for others, European Commission Executive Vice President and Head of Competition Policy Margrethe Vestager notes that Google is "Present at almost all levels of the online advertising chain."
The head of competition also said he wanted to investigate Google's policies regarding user tracking.
Update
France has already fined Google 220 million euros for abuse in the Internet advertising market
