Google in EU crosshairs again with advertising antitrust inquiry

A logo is pictured at Google's European Engineering Center in Zurich, Switzerland July 19, 2018. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/Files

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Google was in the EU antitrust spotlight again on Tuesday as regulators opened an investigation into whether its digital advertising business gives the Alphabet unit an unfair advantage over rivals and advertisers.

The European Union competition enforcer's move marks a new front against Google and follows more than 8 billion euros ($9.5 billion) in fines over the past decade for blocking rivals in online shopping, Android smartphones and online advertising.