Google to change global advertising practices in landmark antitrust deal

French authority fines U.S. tech firm $268 mn; probe followed publishers’ plaint

Google said it would make changes to its global advertising business to ensure it did not abuse its dominance, bowing to antitrust pressure for the first time in a landmark settlement with French authorities. The deal with the French competition watchdog could help rebalance the power over advertising in favour of publishers, which held sway over the business in the pre-Internet era but lost control with the rapid rise of Google and Facebook. The settlement, which was announced on Monday and also saw Google fined €220 million ($268 million), is the first time the U.S. tech giant has agreed to make changes to its huge advertising business, which brings in the bulk of its revenue.