EU fines Google $2.7bn for breaking competition rules

The European Union (EU) has imposed a record €2.42bn ($2.72bn) fine on Google for breaking rules by giving illegal advantage to its own shopping service.

“What Google has done is illegal under EU antitrust rules. It denied other companies the chance to compete on the merits and to innovate,” the European commissioner for competition, Margrethe Vestager, said in a statement.

“And most importantly, it denied European consumers a genuine choice of services and the full benefits of innovation.”

Brussels has given the US tech giant 90 days to change its business model for Google Shopping, or face further penalty payments, Aljazeera reports.

Vestager alleged Google elevated its shopping service even when other options might have better deals.

Google said it “respectfully” disagreed with the ruling.

“We will review the (European) Commission’s decision in detail as we consider an appeal, and we look forward to continuing to make our case,” Kent Walker, the company’s senior vice president and general counsel, said in a statement.

Google insisted that it “shows shopping ads, connecting our users with thousands of advertisers, large and small, in ways that are useful for both.”

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