Google says will treat comparison shopping rivals equally

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Alphabet unit Google will treat its shopping service the same as rivals when they bid for ads at the top of a search page, the company said on Wednesday, as it seeks to comply with an EU antitrust order and stave off fresh fines.

The European Commission slapped a record 2.4-billion-euro ($2.8 billion) fine against the world’s most popular internet search engine in June and told it to stop giving an illegal advantage to its shopping service.

“Google Shopping will compete on equal terms and will operate as if it were a separate business, participating in the auction in the same way as everyone else,” spokesman Al Verney said.