EU investigates Google over concerns content is unfairly demoted in search results

The European Union is launching an investigation into Google, suspecting the company of unfairly demoting content from media publishers in its search results. This action stems from concerns that Google's "site reputation abuse policy" may be violating the Digital Markets Act, a new EU regulation designed to curb the monopolistic practices of large tech companies. EU regulators believe Google's policy, which the company claims is intended to combat scammers and low-quality content, is actually hindering news publishers from being treated fairly and could be impacting their revenue. The European Commission, the EU's executive branch and top antitrust enforcer, has received indications that Google's policy is leading to the demotion of certain search results. Google, through its chief scientist for Search, Pandu Nayak, has defended its policy, stating it protects European users from deceptive content and spam by preventing bad actors from manipulating search rankings. Nayak argued that the investigation is misguided and could degrade the search experience for users by allowing spammy tactics to displace high-quality content. This investigation is the latest in a series of antitrust actions taken by the EU against Google, which has previously faced substantial fines for other competition-related violations. The EU's investigation must conclude within 12 months and could result in significant financial penalties for Google's parent company, Alphabet, potentially up to 10% of it... download the app to read more