Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

EU Expected To Hit Google with Another Massive Antitrust Fine (fortune.com)

Posted by msmash on from the shape-of-things-to-come dept.

If you thought the European Commission was done hitting Google with massive fines, think again. From a report: Having already whacked the U.S. company with a $2.7 billion fine in 2017 (for disadvantaging comparison-shopping rivals in its search results) and a $5 billion fine last year (for disadvantaging software rivals in the Android ecosystem,) the Commission will reportedly issue another financial penalty next week. The fine's imminent nature was reported Friday by the Financial Times, citing three unnamed sources. The Commission and Google both declined to provide comment on the report. It is all about Google's restrictions on the "AdSense for Search" boxes that third-party websites use to make it easier for users to search their sites. Searches conducted through the boxes bring up Google ads and, with Google having such a dominant position in the European online search advertising market, the Commission warned the company in 2016 that it believed the company was illegally abusing its position.

2 of 105 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Correct by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 4, Informative

    Sure they state how to stop their behaviour.

    The literal fine says what it's for. Just stop doing that. All of it.

    You're trying to think of ways for corporations to not stop their behaviour, but to find a loophole. There aren't any loopholes.

    --
    -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
  2. Re:Are they even pretending any more? by Knightman · · Score: 4, Informative

    The trade deficit between the USA and EU has never been $150 billion, the largest it ever was in 2015 when the balance was $122 billion.
      And it isn't strange for US to import from the EU since the stuff imported are more expensive, poorer quality or unavailable in the US.

    Members of NATO do pay to NATO based on their GNI but some members hasn't built up their military to the levels stipulated in the charter. The NATO members in Europe have been increasing their spending on the military since 2014. The US defense contribution to Europe amounts only to about 5% of their total NATO budget, for 2019 that amounts to $6.5 billion compared to $239 billion spent by the European members.

    And your quip about "Why are we even in NATO any more?" does indicate you don't understand the role it plays in the world today.

    Also, what you heard doesn't necessarily have any connection to what really happens.

    --
    --- Reality doesn't care about your opinions, it happens anyway and if you are in the way you'll get squished.