Google is spending half a billion dollars to curry Europe's favor - CNET

Google has ratcheting up its investment in European goodwill, aiming to spend about $450 million from 2015 to 2017 as EU regulators narrow their gaze on the search giant, according to a report by the New York Times.

The company is pouring money into wide-ranging sponsorships, like an exhibition at a Belgian museum incorporating virtual reality, a fund to help European news publishers amp up their web savvy, a digital training course for Irish teachers, and YouTube-backed concerts, according to the report.

Google is facing intensifying regulator scrutiny in Europe, including antitrust charges, probes into allegations that it is shortchanging its tax payments, and accusations about failing to adequately safeguard privacy. Google didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment.