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Posted by ChrisArchitect 9/5/2025

European Commission fines Google €2.95B over abusive ad tech practices(ec.europa.eu)
399 points | 342 commentspage 2
acidrat 9/5/2025|
Its definitely not the first time google was fined by EU see https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antitrust_cases_against_Goog...

I can't find any details about those past cases with regards to - did they actually ended up paying anything at all?

ApolloFortyNine 7 days ago||
I read this whole article a couple times and don't really u understand what was wrong here.

Google is using their own ad exchange to fill ads? Isn't that... Their entire business model? Does the EU just want more intermediaries to exist? At the end of the day doesn't Google still get to decide how much an ad is worth when someone searches 'car insurance'?

To me this reads like the EU should pass a law describing exactly what they want.

>For example, Google Ads was avoiding competing ad exchanges and mainly placing bids on AdX, thus making it the most attractive ad exchange.

I just don't know why Google couldn't do this. Is this an instance of if they just never used other ad exchanges at all no one would be mad? Like Google getting called a monopoly by requiring the play store to be installed on android phones, while Apple obviously does exactly this just on their own hardware?

gitaarik 7 days ago|
From what I quickly gather, these are the things Google did that are against the EU anti-trust rules:

- Companies advertising through Google were not allowed to collaborate with other advertising companies under Google's contract. - Google runs an ad exchange (AdX) where advertisers and advertising spaces can connect, and Google didn't share platform's data with other members, giving them an unfair market advantage. - They also manipulated the way deals were made on the platform to their advantage.

To me it sounds just wrong anyway that Google runs this platform where companies compete with each other but also Google itself, so they'll always have more control.

I think it's a good idea having these anti trust rules, because otherwise you'll eventually get a a gigantic monopoly economy, and I just think that's not a good idea.

seydor 9/5/2025||
Awaiting amusing tweets (truths?) from the american baby in chief
oriettaxx 7 days ago||
Penalties bases on income is a very good practice: it works this way in Finland.

Can it be that any Berlusconi pays, for a speed ticket, the same amount as ordinary people?

oriettaxx 7 days ago||
Very good: super good. Too easy to make business for monopolists.

I seriously do not understand how Microsoft made it so far not to experience the same.

belter 7 days ago||
European Commission fines Google an amount equal to three Meta ML Experts signing bonus...
account42 5 days ago||
As much as I like to see google getting fined, it's disappointing that this is happening over them screwing over ad partners when ads are all about screwing over end users in the first place.
amelius 9/5/2025||
Ok, now can we also have a three-strikes policy please, with prison sentences. Otherwise this is just the cost of doing business.
isoprophlex 9/5/2025||
Agreed. Megacorps where noone has actual honest skin in the game and every unethical decision can be paved over with money are bad news for most of us.
mc32 9/5/2025|||
How would that work? Infraction > Officers quit; new set of officers > infraction > officers quit; new set of officers…
reorder9695 9/5/2025|||
Almost 3bn euros is one hell of a cost of business though, that's approximately a euro for every 2.5 people on the planet
thinkingtoilet 9/5/2025|||
Until the rich people who green light things like this go to jail it will literally never stop. Someone, somewhere needs to be responsible for policies that break the law and they need to go to jail.
lucketone 7 days ago||
My company has a committee that votes on these kinds of things.

You as a prosecutor, who will you take to jail? whole committee? Those who voted in-favour? Somebody who brought the proposal? Only CEO?

Each of these decisions if done consistently over time, would invoke changes in companies, to get some fall-guys in right places.

thinkingtoilet 7 days ago|||
The very easy and obvious answer is the people who are responsible. If there is a committee then the obvious answer is the people who voted for it. It's not hard. It's like saying what if I break the law but I do it with three other people, who goes to jail? The obvious answer is everyone who broke the law goes to jail. If a fifth person did not participate and said you should not break the law, the very obvious answer is the person who did not participate and who did not break the law does not go to jail. It's not complicated at all.
alkonaut 7 days ago|||
For usual corporate crimes: Usually CEO and/or a few senior individuals who you could prove was part of a conspiracy and aware it was a crime, through emails, chat logs etc.
jjani 9/5/2025||||
It's 15% of their yearly net profit in the region. Not even revenue.

3bn sounds like a lot because we haven't gotten used to the absurd profit levels that these monstrosities have reached.

reorder9695 9/5/2025||
I actually do think that's significant, if someone took 15% of your yearly earnings this year that would definitely be noticed. I'm not saying it's the right amount, I'm saying that is enough to be felt and therefore isn't the tiny fines you often tend to see
account42 5 days ago|||
Would you not take a 30% pay increase just because it came with a risk to be fined 15% of your earnings once after profiting for many years though?
jjani 7 days ago|||
My yearly earnings are revenue, not profit.
Anonyneko 9/5/2025||||
For Google that's a slap on the wrist.
generic92034 9/5/2025||
But a slap which can easily be repeated (even with more force), if Google does not comply.
isodev 9/5/2025||||
Google has been serving a lot of ads over the years.
djtango 9/5/2025||||
Huh? Google generated 350B in revenues in 2024...

3B is pocket change to them

udev4096 9/5/2025|||
[flagged]
riku_iki 7 days ago|||
execs will jump with golden parachute after first strike.
account42 5 days ago||
Not an issue when whoever replaces them will know that they better behave.
riku_iki 4 days ago||
Those will know they are supposed to missbehave to jump with parachute when time comes
roscas 9/5/2025||
Just another day in the office. European Commission... commission...
roscas 7 days ago||
Oh no, someone from the Commission just down voted me.

Bet it was those who were asked about corruption and cut the microphone to those who really care.

We do deserve better in Europe.

This one is for Google. But Facebook and others do the same. How can we let them do this.

If you have responsability and let this happen, you just allow it.

ranguna 7 days ago||
Not the one who down-voted you, but I thought about it.

I believe the reason you got down-voted was because you comment did not add anything of productive to the discussion.

jennyholzer 9/5/2025|
chump change
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