EU Launches New Antitrust Probe into Google’s Search Ad Pricing (GOOGL)

The European Commission has launched a new antitrust probe into Google’s alleged illegal rigging of ad auction clearing prices, potentially breaching competition rules and exposing the company to fines up to 10% of global annual sales. A Feb. 9 letter, seen by Bloomberg, alleges the firm is “artificially increasing the clearing price” to the detriment of advertisers, with the regulator seeking input from market participants. The probe, still in its early stages, could be formally announced soon by Competition Commissioner Teresa Ribera. If confirmed, it would add to ongoing EU investigations and the company’s €9.5 billion ($11.3 billion) fine tally, including issues under the Digital Markets Act, such as barriers to rival search engines, preferential treatment of in-house services, and alleged unfair demotion of news results.