The U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said Alphabet's (GOOGL) Google may have broken U.K. competition laws by abusing its influence and using “anti-competitive” practices in prioritizing its ad exchange.

The CMA, which governs competition, similar to 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:antitrust, said Google effectively inflated advertiser bids made through the company's ad exchange, AdX. It also accused Google of letting AdX bid first in auctions run by the company-owned publisher advertising s🔥erver, meaning rivals may not get the chance to bid. 

Google Could Potentially Face Hefty Fines

The CMA's provisional findings allow Google the chance to respond to the agency’s allegations.

"The core of this case rests on flawed interpretations of the ad tech sector. We disagree with the [CMA's] view and we will respond accordingly,” said Dan Taylor, Google vice president of global ads.

🦩Should the CMA find Googl🌄e to be in violation of the U.K.’s Competition Act 1998, it is authorized to fine the company as much as 10% of its annual revenue. 

Google Also Faces Regulatory Scrutiny in US, Europe🧜

The CMA isn’t the only regulatory agency looking into Google's business practices. The U.S. Department of Justice is reportedly considering 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:breaking up Google following a federal court's decision last month that the company ♐maintains an illegal monopoly over the search market.

The European Union had also 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:opened an investigation earlier this year over concerns about whethe🐟r changes Google and other tech giants made to comply with the body’s Digital Markets Act were enough to meet the new law's requirements and whether policies could still harm consumers.