Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Google fined €220m in France over online advertising market

Google fined €220m in France over online advertising market

Google said it had agreed on changes to improve its online ad market after being fined by France's competition watchdog.

Google has been fined €220 million by France's competition authority for favouring its own services in online advertising.

The tech giant was found to have given "preferential treatment" to Google's own "proprietary technologies" in digital adverts, the authority said.

Google has not contested the facts and the fine was agreed as part of a settlement procedure, it added.

The company also said it had agreed with the French watchdog on a number of solutions to improve its online advertising market.

In a blog post, Google said that changes would be made over the coming months, and would eventually be rolled out globally.

Google maintains a dominant position in the online advertising market and is facing antitrust lawsuits from authorities in several countries.

What was the French complaint about?


The case against Google over its online advertising market was first brought by three media organisations; News Corp, the Le Figaro group and the Rossel La Voix group. Le Figaro later withdrew from the procedure.

The companies had complained that Google was promoting its own services under the brand name Google Ad Manager.

The decision was referred to France's competition authority, which confirmed in a statement that Google had agreed to the €220 million fine.

Google had "abused its dominant position on the market for ad servers for website and mobile application publishers", the authority said.

The practises were "particularly serious" because they impacted Google's competitors on the SSP Market - where publishers sell advertising space - and the SSP AdX bidding platform.

Google was, therefore, able to increase its dominant position on ad servers for sites and applications, the authority added.

Isabelle de Silva, president of the French competition watchdog, described the decision as "particularly significant".

"It is the first decision in the world to examine the complex algorithmic bidding processes by which online display advertising operates," de Silva said.

"This sanction and these commitments will restore a level playing field for all players, and the ability of publishers to make the most of their advertising space."

How has Google responded?


While Google did not comment on the fine imposed, the company confirmed it had been working with the French authority for two years to improve its ad markets.

"Google proposed commitments aimed at improving the interoperability of the Google Ad Manager services with third-party ad server and ad serving platform solutions," the watchdog said.

These changes would "put an end to the provisions that favoured Google", it added.

Amendments would include increasing customers' access to data, to help them buy ad space from publishers more efficiently.

"We are committed to working proactively with regulators everywhere to make improvements to our products," said Maria Gomri, legal director of Google France.

"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," she added in a blog post.

"We will be testing and developing these changes over the coming months before rolling them out more broadly, including some globally."

The French authority had noted that Google has a particular responsibility not to distort competition due to its dominance, especially as many other publishers had suffered a loss in paper subscription sales and paper advertising revenue.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Germany Seeks Taliban Deal to Deport Afghan Migrants
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
×