Google faces EU antitrust charges over its adtech business, claims sources

Alphabet unit Google could face EU antitrust charges next year over its digital advertising business, putting the company at risk of its fourth fine in the EU of more than a billion euros, people familiar with the matter said.

Google’s ad business, which generated over $100 billion in sales last year, is Alphabet’s biggest moneymaker. It accounted for about 80% of annual revenue, despite efforts over the past decade to push into selling hardware, subscription services and cloud computing technology. The European Commission launched an investigation into Google’s adtech business in June last year, concerned that the U.S. tech giant may be getting an unfair advantage over rivals and advertisers.

The company, which risks its fourth billion-euro fine, subsequently sought to settle the case but concessions were minor and very preliminary, one of the people said.