Google offers to change search results amid $3.4 billion EU penalty threat — Here’s what we know
According to the news agency, US-based major technology company and search engine giant Google offered to change its advertising technology products and search results in order to eliminate the threat of a $3.4 billion penalty from the European Union (EU). Bloomberg On Friday, November 14, 2025
Google has been under the scrutiny of the European Commission since March 2025 due to allegations that it favored its services such as Google Shopping, Google Hotels and Google Flights over other competitors.
What changes is Google planning to make?
Google parent company Alphabet said in a blog post on Friday that the company will offer publishers options to set different minimum prices for bidders on Google’s Ad Manager platform, according to the agency report.
The company also aims to improve interoperability across ad tech services in efforts to provide publishers and advertisers with greater choice flexibility.
However, despite the offer, the company’s stance has not changed, as it still opposes the EU’s decision in September and the technology giant plans to appeal this decision. Meanwhile, the EU antitrust regulator said Google allegedly abused its dominance by granting a competitive advantage to its own ad exchanges and ordering the company to end these practices.
According to a recent news Reuters Citing people with knowledge of the development, the report states that such violations of antitrust norms carry the risk of penalties or fines in the coming months.
Google also reportedly stated that the company was trying to find a balanced solution and shut down EU investigations while warning of the risks ahead.
A spokesperson told the news agency: “We are concerned that any changes to Search would prioritize the commercial interests of a small group of intermediaries over European businesses looking to sell directly to their customers.”
Level playing field for Google?
EU competition chief Teresa Ribera said the only level playing field in the industry would be if Google divested unspecified parts of its ad tech arm after dealing with mounting fines and remediation demands over alleged antitrust violations.
Although Ribera’s solution is inadequate compared to the radical collapse of her predecessor, Margrethe Vestager, the company still sees the move as a step too far.
The fines imposed on the technology giant included a 2.95 billion euro fine imposed in Brussels for alleged abuse of dominance, as well as a 4.13 billion euro fine against Android and a 2.42 billion euro fine for domination of shopping search rivals.
Alphabet shares closed down 2.84% at $278.57 after Thursday’s US market session. However, the company’s shares rose 0.30% to $279.40 in after-hours trading on Nasdaq, according to data collected from the MarketWatch website.
