Google has been fined a record €2.42bn ($2.73) by the European Union for breaches of competition policy that saw the company allegedly use its search engine dominance to boost its online shopping service. It denied other companies the chance to compete on the merits and to innovate. The company’s promotion of its comparison service through its search results was found to have been illegal under EU antitrust rules. In an announcement on Tuesday, Margrethe Vestager, Europe’s top digital official, said she had opened formal proceedings against Google, accusing it of abusing its dominant position in internet searches. Google, which denies the allegations, has 90 days to cease illegal activity or face fines that could amount to 5% of parent company Alphabet’s average daily global turnover.
Google has been fined a record €2.42bn ($2.73) by the European Union for breaches of competition policy that saw the company allegedly use its search engine dominance to boost its online shopping service. The company’s promotion of its comparison service through its search results was found to have been illegal under EU antitrust rules. In an announcement on Tuesday, Margrethe Vestager, Europe’s top digital official, said she had opened formal proceedings against Google, accusing it of abusing its dominant position in internet searches. Google, which denies the allegations, has 90 days to cease illegal activity or face fines that could amount to 5% of parent company Alphabet’s average daily global turnover.