Google Faces Antitrust Charges Again as European Commission Recommends Divestiture of Ad Services

Google has been accused by the European Commission of abusing its dominant position in the online ad market.

The commission has recommended that Google sell part of its ad services to ensure fair competition.

Google has disputed the accusations, and the commission is awaiting the company's response before making a final decision.

If found guilty, Google could face a fine of up to 10% of its annual global revenues.

The charges add pressure on Google, which comes months after US authorities sued the company for the same issue.

The commission's investigation focuses on Google's ad exchange, AdX, and its ad server, DoubleClick.

The European Commission has announced a preliminary finding in an antitrust suit against Google, which tracks closely with a similar suit lodged by the US government in January.

The suit accuses Google of running an unlawful monopoly that has "corrupted legitimate competition in the ad tech industry." The Commission's cooperation with the US Department of Justice has been close, and both agree on the need to remedy the issues.

The European Consumer Organisation welcomes the initial stance that Google needs to divest part of its adtech business.

Brussels has already slapped over eight billion euros in fines on Google for abusing its dominant market position.