Google Faces EU Probe Over Claims of News Demotion in Search Results

In Focus

• The EU is probing Google for demoting news publishers in search results
• New probe focuses on Google’s site reputation abuse policy
• The probe is expected to conclude in 12 months

EU regulators are investigating Google over allegations that it deprioritizes news publishers in its search results due to its spam policy, EuroNews reported. The EU executive branch said it found signs that Google is demoting news publishers in search results when they undertake promotional third-party content. A spokesperson for the European Commission referred to publishers’ promotional content as legitimate commercial practices.

Allegations of Unfair Treatment

The European Commission suspects that Google applies its spam policy to news content unfairly, an action which results in the loss of visibility and revenue for media publishers.

“We are concerned that Google’s policies do not allow news publishers to be treated in a fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory manner in its search results. We will investigate to ensure that news publishers are not losing out on important revenues, and Google complies with the Digital Markets Act,” The European Commission Vice President Teresa Ribera said.

The probe into Google’s news demotion practices will be guided by the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), the law that was designed to curb market dominance by major tech companies. If found in breach of the law, the EU could fine Alphabet up to 10% of its annual global turnover.

Probe to Focus on Google’s Site Reputation Abuse Policy

The latest EU investigation into Google’s news publisher rankings will focus on the tech giant’s site reputation abuse policy, which it introduced in March 2024. The policy was designed to curb attempts to manipulate Google’s search ranking system by websites.

EU regulators will be seeking to establish whether Google’s site reputation abuse policy discriminates against media publishers who host promotional content.

Google’s EU search results investigation comes at a time when Alphabet is facing antitrust charges in the EU over self-promotion practices. The search giant has also been accused of preventing app developers from steering their customers outside the Play Store.

Google’s Defense of Anti-Spam Policy

Google has defended its site reputation policy claiming that it protects EU users from accessing what it calls “deceptive, low quality content, and scams.”

The tech giant maintained that its policy was necessary in ensuring equal treatment of websites and curbing deceptive tactics that outrank them.

“This surprising new investigation risks rewarding bad actors and degrading the quality of search results. We’ll continue to defend the policies that let people trust the results they see in (Google) Search,” Google Search’s Chief Scientist, Pandu Nayak said in a statement.

Google further said the investigation lacks merit because a German court had dismissed similar allegations and upheld its policy as valid and reasonable. Last year, Google won an antitrust fight after the EU’s General Court annulled a $1.7 billion fine imposed on it for ad abuse. The EU regulators are expected to complete the latest probe within 12 months.