Google Hit by EU Antitrust Probe Over Search Ads Pricing

Samuel Stolton

Fri, February 13, 2026 at 3:14 AM GMT+9 2 min read

In this article:

GOOG

+0.80%

European Commission

(Bloomberg) – Google, the target for billions of euros in European Union antitrust fines, has been hit by a fresh EU probe over concerns it’s illegally rigging the cost of advertising on its search engine.

The European Commission suspects the Alphabet Inc. unit is “artificially increasing the clearing price” of ad auctions “to the detriment of advertisers,” according to a copy of a Feb. 9 letter to potentially affected businesses, seen by Bloomberg.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Mamdani’s Grocery Plan Takes Shape In Economic Policy Shift

The Best Tactics for Tackling Speeders

NY Private School Startup Seeks Edge by Giving 42% Fee Discount

NJ Transit Service Between Trenton and New York City Resumes

New York Faces Slippery Evening Commute as Storm Moves in Fast

The Brussels-based regulator said that the suspected conduct — if backed up by evidence — could violate competition rules, which can trigger fines as high as 10% of global annual sales.

In an accompanying request for information, EU watchdogs asked market participants about Google’s dominance across several online advertising markets. While the probe is in its early stages, it could in the near future be announced formally by Competition Commissioner Teresa Ribera, according to people familiar with the case, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“Google Search ads help small businesses compete with the biggest brands, driving economic growth and keeping the web free for everyone,” the Mountain View, California-based company said in an emailed statement.

“Ad prices are determined by a real-time auction designed to show people the most relevant ads, taking into account factors like advertiser competition and ad quality,” Google added.

The EU commission declined to comment.

Similar allegations have earlier been leveled against Google by the US Department of Justice, which had attempted to impose a sale of Google’s chrome browser. That move has been overruled, for now, by a Washington judge.

The European scrutiny risks adding to the company’s €9.5 billion ($11.3 billion) EU fines tally and worsening relations with the Trump administration. It also adds to a string of fresh probes launched by Brussels authorities in recent weeks against Google.

Under the EU’s powerful Digital Markets Act, Google was recently handed a six-month deadline to lift technical barriers to rival AI search assistants on Android and give key data to other search engine providers.

Separately, the company faces upcoming penalties under the DMA over allegations it unfairly favors in-house services across its sprawling search empire and for preventing app developers from steering consumers to offers outside of its Play Store.

Story Continues  

Google is also being probed over concerns it unfairly demotes certain news results.

(Updates with Google comment in fifth paragraph)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

UPS’s Missteps Have Made the Company’s Road Ahead Less Certain

Drug Cartels Are Shifting Their Money Laundering to Crypto. Cops Can’t Keep Up

Fibermaxxing Is a Diet Trend Even Nutritionists Can Love

What It’s Like to Be a Banker in Russia During Wartime

The Making of MAHA’s Biohacking King

©2026 Bloomberg L.P.

Terms and Privacy Policy

Privacy Dashboard

More Info