Google ’faces €1bn-plus fine’ from EU over market dominance | Technology | The Guardian

Google is reportedly facing a record-breaking fine from Brussels of more than €1bn (£875m) over alleged abuse of its market dominance.EU officials are expected to announce in the coming weeks that the tech giant has been guilty of manipulating its search engine results to favour its new Google Shopping service, whoch offers price comparisons on products.The unprecedented sanction, if tabled, follows a seven-year investigation by Brussels. In July last year, the commission had reiterated its belief that the search giant had “abused its dominant position by systematically favouring its comparison shopping service in its search result pages”.Business Today: sign up for a morning shot of financial news Read moreA spokesman for the European commission declined to comment on the size of the fine or the potential timing of any formal announcement. A spokesman for Google was not immediately able to comment.The Financial Times said the commission was looking at topping the penalty of €1bn handed out to chipmaker Intel in 2009, over its anticompetitive behaviour.Senior politicians in Paris and Berlin, along with Google’s competitors, have been encouraging Margrethe Vestager, the European commission’s competition commissioner, to take a tough line.

Källa: Google ’faces €1bn-plus fine’ from EU over market dominance | Technology | The Guardian