EU launches antitrust probe against Google

The EU launched a wide-ranging antitrust probe against internet giant Google on Tuesday over concerns that it is using its technology to keep out rivals in the lucrative online advertising market.

The case opens yet another front by the European Commission against the search engine giant, which has already received eight billion euros ($9 billion) in fines for its anti-competitive practices.

The investigation will “assess whether Google has violated EU competition rules by favouring its own online display advertising technology services”, a statement from the EU executive said.

The probe narrows in on an important component of Google’s profit-making machine: more than 80% of the giant’s revenue in 2020 came from advertising, or $147 billion.