Google, which has been fined billions of euros in Europe in recent years for antitrust violations, is the subject of several antitrust investigations by the European Union. Another could increase tensions with the U.S. government, which says American Big Tech has been unfairly targeted, claims the European Commission has rejected.
The Commission singled out auctions for the sale of ads on Google Search, “in particular the manner in which Google artificially inflated the clearing price of such auctions to the detriment of advertisers,” the letter said. Google, which dominates the multibillion-dollar online advertising market, says Google search ads help small businesses compete with the biggest brands and keep the Internet free for everyone.
“Ad prices are determined by a real-time auction designed to show people the ‘most relevant ads,’ taking into account factors such as advertiser competition and ad quality,” a Google spokesperson said.
A Commission spokesman declined to comment, saying there was no formal investigation into the matter.
“In general, the Commission monitors possible anti-competitive market practices and abuses in all sectors and stands ready to investigate cases where concrete evidence of them is found,” the spokesperson said.
Recipients of the letter were given until March 2 to provide feedback. The US Department of Justice has accused Google of manipulating online auctions with formulas to boost its own bottom line. Bloomberg was the first to report the possible EU investigation.
Published on February 13, 2026
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