French regulator fines Google $166 million for abusing ad dominance

France’s competition authority has fined Google 150 million euros ($167 million) for abusing its dominant position on the market for advertising linked to web searches, the regulator announced Friday.

The authority, in its first ever sanctioning of the American giant, also ordered Google to “clarify the operating rules of its Google Ads advertising platform and the procedures for suspending the accounts” of certain advertisers.

The move was the third biggest penalty ever handed out for abuse of market dominance by the authority, its chief Isabelle de Silva told a news conference.