European authorities fined Google $1.7 billion for antitrust violations, The New York Times reports. Google required any website to feature ads from the tech company’s advertising services over those from its competitors as a condition for using its search bar. Google said it stopped the practice as of 2016. “Google has cemented its dominance in online search adverts and shielded itself from competitive pressure by imposing anti-competitive contractual restrictions on third-party websites. This is illegal under EU antitrust rules,” European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager said in a statement. “We’ve already made a wide range of changes to our products to address the Commission’s concerns,” Google Senior Vice President of Global Affairs Kent Walker wrote in a blog post. “Over the next few months, we’ll be making further updates to give more visibility to rivals in Europe.” (Registration may be required to access this story.) 
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