The European Commission issues a preliminary antitrust complaint against Google over its ad business, suggesting breaking up the unit; Google can now reply
The European Commission has made a formal antitrust complaint against Google and its ad business, saying that its preliminary view is that …
The VergeJon Porter
Context & Ripple Effects
The complaint advances the Commission’s ad-tech scrutiny from its 2021 investigation into Google’s treatment of its own display-ad technology to a formal preliminary position. It also follows reports that a statement of objections was imminent, making the proposed remedy—not merely the existence of the probe—the consequential development.
The Commission’s preliminary preference for divestiture puts Google’s ad-business structure at the center of the case. Google’s opportunity to respond means no remedy is final, but the process now tests whether behavioral commitments would satisfy the regulator.
First-order effects
Google must defend its ad-tech practices and respond to a preliminary Commission view that a breakup may be required.
The Commission has elevated the case from investigation to a formal objection, placing a structural remedy on the table while it considers Google’s response.
Second-order effects
Ad-tech rivals can point to the Commission’s preliminary finding when arguing that Google’s integrated role disadvantages competing tools and services.
Publishers and advertisers that use ad-tech intermediaries face greater uncertainty over the future configuration of Google’s services, even though no divestiture has been ordered.
Third-order effects
If the Commission ultimately requires separation, the case could establish a stronger EU preference for structural remedies where a platform both operates an ad marketplace and participates across its supply chain.
The dispute is part of a broader test of whether competition enforcement can reshape vertically integrated digital infrastructure rather than rely on conduct commitments alone.
The trend: European competition scrutiny is increasingly focused on whether vertically integrated platform businesses require structural, not just behavioral, remedies.
Boom, another shoe just dropped. “a behavioural remedy is likely to be ineffective to prevent the risk that Google continues such self-preferencing conducts or engages in new ones” /1 https://ec.europa.eu/... [image]
#EUAntitrust The Commission 🇪🇺 has informed Google of its preliminary view that the company breached EU antitrust rules by distorting competition in the #advertising #technology industry ('adtech') 👇 🔗➡️https:// europa.eu/!3N6WR4 [image]
.@Google controls both sides of the #adtech market: sell & buy. We are concerned that it may have abused its dominance to favour its own #AdX platform. If confirmed, this is illegal. @EU_Commission might require Google to divest part of its services. https://europa.eu/!3N6WR4 [im…
A big (and necessary) step from @EU_Competition @vestager: Google may be forced to finally divest its RTB ad exchange. Bravo! (Credit due to the work of @DinaSrinivasan, and the Texas AG and other major cases in the U.S.) https://ec.europa.eu/... [image]
Well this is huge: “The Commission's preliminary view is therefore that only the mandatory divestment by Google of part of its services would address its competition concerns.” https://ec.europa.eu/...
The US DOJ and multiple states' attorneys are making exactly the same assertion about Google using its dominance of both sides of the adtech market. https://twitter.com/...
We take issue with Google favouring its own online display advertising technology services to the detriment of competing providers of advertising technology services, advertisers and online publishers. Our preliminary view is that Google may have breached EU antitrust rules by...…
‼️ EU announces fresh antitrust charge sheet against Google's Ad Tech business, noting that behavioral remedies are “likely to be ineffective to prevent the risk” of the abusive conduct.
the EU says it's willing to force Google to break up its ad business. The European Commission has made a formal antitrust complaint against Google and its ad business, and it doesn't think a behavioral remedy is enough https://www.theverge.com/...