France's fines Google $167 million for opaque and unpredictable advertising rules

France's Competition Authority has fined Google 150 million euros ($166.4 million) for anti-competitive behaviour, as well as having unclear advertising rules on Google Ads. The agency announced the fine on Friday, saying the methods used by Google Ads are "opaque and difficult to understand" and that the company applies them in an "unequal and arbitrary way".It also ordered Google to clarify how it uses Google Ads and its procedures for suspending accounts.

The authority's investigation took four years and followed a complaint filed by Gibmedia, a French company that manages a range of websites offering weather forecasts, corporate data and directories. Gibmedia had accused Google of having suspended its Google Ads account without notice.