In a set back to the search engine giant Google, French competition regulator on Friday fined the former with 150 million euros ($166 million). Claiming that the U.S. tech company has been abusing its dominant position in the online ad market, the agency stated that Google is mistreating the buyers of ads based on keywords. France also revealed that the fine was slapped a lengthy investigation of four years into the online ad sector. While Google holds a 90% dominant position in the online search market with, France stated that Google’s wording of ad rules failed to live up to that standard. Reacting to the revelation, Google said that it would appeal and that its advertising policies are designed to protect consumers from exploitative and abusive ads. Adding fuel to the scenarios, 50 US states and territories announced that they are launching an investigation into Google’s ad platform.
