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Google's Record Fine of $2.8 Billion Was a 'Deterrent,' EU Says (bloomberg.com)

Posted by msmash on from the making-an-example dept.

The European Union was aiming for a "deterrent effect" on Google and other technology giants when it ordered the Android-maker to pay 2.4 billion euros ($2.8 billion) for breaching antitrust law over how it displays shopping ads. From a report: Regulators weighed "the need to ensure that the fine has a sufficiently deterrent effect not only on Google and Alphabet but also on undertakings of a similar size and with similar resources," the European Commission said in a 215-page document laying out details of its seven-year investigation into the company. The "particularly large" revenue of Google's parent, Alphabet, also determined the size of the fine, the EU said. The penalty, levied in June, was more than double an earlier 1 billion-euro fine on Intel and came with a threat of more daily fines for Google if it didn't comply with an order to offer equal treatment to rival shopping-comparison services. Big numbers for big technology names have been a theme for EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, who ordered Apple Inc. to pay back some 13 billion euros in taxes last year.

2 of 71 comments (clear)

  1. That's a nice tech company you have... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Interesting

    Is it just me, or is the EU keeping the lights on by shaking down US tech companies?

    Also, big fat [Citation Needed] to show that this fine was a "deterrent" in any way for Google. Have they actually changed anything? Did they make more in revenue during the time they were allegedly violating regulations than this fine hit them for?

  2. Re:So they noticed... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    A colleague of mine worked for a company here in the US that did extreme B1/B2 visa abuse. They would have people man their offices, fresh off the boat from India, and every 3-6 months, ship them all back, and bring in another boatload. The fines? Part of doing business, because it was cheaper to pay the relatively tiny fines than it is to actually play the game.

    I wish the EU would actually do some serious fines, and do it often. The GDPR may be the only thing that might companies even consider spending money for security-related items.