Belgium Targets Google’s Ad Tech: A New Front in the European Antitrust War

The Belgian Competition Authority (BCA) has officially opened a formal investigation into Google’s online advertising practices, signaling a significant escalation in the regulatory pressure facing the search giant. On February 27, 2026, the watchdog announced it had discovered "serious indications" that Google may be abusing its dominant market position to distort competition and manipulate ad pricing.

This move by Belgium is not an isolated incident but rather the latest chapter in a long-running saga between European regulators and Big Tech. While the European Commission has historically led the charge, national authorities are increasingly taking the initiative to scrutinize how digital gatekeepers operate within their specific borders. For Google, which is already navigating a maze of litigation across the continent, this probe represents a fresh challenge to its most profitable business segment: the ad tech stack.

The "Black Box" of Programmatic Advertising

To understand why the BCA is concerned, one must look into the complex machinery of programmatic advertising. When you load a webpage, a lightning-fast auction happens in the background to decide which ad you see. Google doesn't just participate in this auction; it often owns the entire venue.

Regulators are specifically looking at how Google manages the relationship between its tools for advertisers (Google Ads), its tools for publishers (AdSense and Ad Manager), and its massive ad exchange (AdX). The suspicion is that Google uses its "all-in-one" status to give its own services an unfair advantage, a practice often called self-preferencing.

Imagine a real estate market where one company owns the listing website, represents the buyer, represents the seller, and also owns the bank providing the mortgage. In such a scenario, it becomes nearly impossible for an independent agent to compete fairly. This analogy reflects the BCA's concern: that Google’s dominance allows it to extract higher fees while making it difficult for rival ad platforms to survive.

Why the Belgian Probe Matters Now

While Google has faced billions of euros in fines from the European Union in the past—notably for its Shopping, Android, and AdSense practices—this Belgian investigation focuses on the nuances of pricing transparency. The BCA is investigating whether Google’s pricing models are opaque by design, preventing publishers from knowing exactly how much of the advertiser's budget is being eaten up by intermediary fees.

By early 2026, the Digital Markets Act (DMA) has already been in full force for some time, yet national regulators like the BCA are finding that specific local market distortions still require targeted interventions. The Belgian watchdog has the power to impose "interim measures," which could force Google to change its business practices in Belgium even before the full investigation is concluded.

The Google Ad Tech Ecosystem

To visualize the scale of Google's influence, consider the various roles the company plays simultaneously in the digital advertising lifecycle:

This vertical integration is the heart of the antitrust argument. Critics argue that because Google sees the data from all sides of the transaction, it can predict auction outcomes and adjust its own bids or fees to ensure it always comes out on top.

The Impact on Publishers and Advertisers

For the average business owner or digital publisher, this legal battle isn't just about abstract law; it’s about the bottom line. When competition is stifled in the ad tech market, two things typically happen:

1. Publishers earn less: If an ad tech provider takes a larger cut of the transaction (the so-called "ad tech tax"), news organizations and content creators receive less revenue to fund their work.
2. Advertisers pay more: Without transparent competition, the cost per click or cost per thousand impressions (CPM) can be artificially inflated, reducing the return on investment for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Google has consistently maintained that its advertising tools help millions of businesses find customers and that the market remains highly competitive with the rise of platforms like Amazon, TikTok, and Apple. However, the BCA’s "serious indications" suggest that, at least in the programmatic space, the playing field is far from level.

What Happens Next?

The investigation is expected to involve extensive data requests and testimony from competitors and customers. If the BCA finds Google guilty of antitrust violations, the company could face fines of up to 10% of its global annual turnover. More importantly, Google could be forced to "unbundle" its services, potentially requiring it to sell off parts of its ad tech business or provide much deeper transparency into its auction algorithms.

For tech observers, this case serves as a reminder that the regulatory environment for Big Tech is not cooling down. Instead, it is becoming more granular, with national authorities filling in the gaps left by broader EU-wide legislation.

Practical Takeaways for Businesses

As the legal landscape shifts, businesses that rely on digital advertising should consider the following steps:

• Audit Your Ad Spend: Use third-party tools to track where your money is going. Demand transparency from your ad tech partners regarding intermediary fees.
• Diversify Your Channels: Avoid over-reliance on a single ecosystem. Explore alternative ad exchanges and direct-to-publisher deals to mitigate the risk of platform changes.
• Monitor DMA Compliance: Stay informed about the Digital Markets Act updates, as these regulations often dictate how Google must allow third-party tools to interoperate with its own.
• Focus on First-Party Data: As regulators crack down on how data is shared across ad tech stacks, building your own database of customer information becomes a vital hedge against platform volatility.

Sources:

• Belgian Competition Authority (BCA) Official Press Releases
• European Commission: Digital Markets Act (DMA) Overview
• Reuters: Tech Antitrust Archives
• Bloomberg Law: Antitrust and Trade Regulation Reports