Google hit with European Union antitrust probe on ad-tech dominance

Firm may be illegally favouring its own online display ad tech, says bloc

Google faces a sweeping European Union probe into its advertising technology, a move that strikes at the heart of the tech giant’s business model. The European Commission said Tuesday its new confrontation with the Alphabet unit will focus on concerns the company may be illegally favouring its own online display advertising technologies, squeezing out rivals.

“This is probably the probe that many people were waiting for because it goes to the core of Google’s business,” said Aitor Ortiz, an analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence. The biggest risk would be an order for Google to separate from or restrict its online ads operations,