European Union regulators were weighing whether to dismantle search giant Google’s ad-tech business on anti-competitive grounds, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, adding that a formal complaint could come as early as Wednesday. Citing people familiar with the matter, the Journal said that complaint from the European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, would accuse Google of abusing “its role as one of the largest brokers, suppliers and online auctioneers of digital ads on third-party websites and apps.” The Journal said the EU was weighing whether to make Google, which is owned by Alphabet Inc.
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sell off certain segments of the ad-tech business. Google also faces similar allegations from the U.S. Justice Department. Shares of Alphabet were up 0.1% after hours.
