EU Targets Google Amid Antitrust Scrutiny
Brussels (ANSA) – In a decisive move against pressures emanating from the Trump administration, the European Union has once more intensified its scrutiny of U.S. Big Tech firms.
Google finds itself again in the crosshairs of European regulators, having recently incurred fines from the EU’s Antitrust authorities due to its robust advertising network linked to its search engine.
The European Commission has initiated an investigation to discern whether the Mountain View-based corporation has, in fact, disadvantaged news publishers, potentially contravening the European Digital Markets Act (DMA), legislation specifically designed to mitigate the anti-competitive behaviors of significant online platforms dubbed as ‘gatekeepers.’
“We harbor concerns that Google’s operational policies may result in news publishers facing unfair, unreasonable, and discriminatory treatment in search results,” articulated Teresa Ribera, Vice President of the Commission overseeing competition matters.
She assured that a thorough investigation will be conducted to “safeguard essential revenue streams for news publishers during this challenging period for the industry” and to ascertain that “Google adheres to the stipulations of the European Digital Markets Act.”
Essentially, the Berlaymont Palace challenges the implications of Google’s policies on the publishing sector, particularly regarding its approach to site reputation management. This framework ostensibly aims to shield users from spam and counteract manipulative ranking tactics in search results.
However, the Commission contends that such anti-spam measures might inadvertently lead to the marginalization of certain websites and media content—especially those affiliated with commercial partners.
The resultant downgrading can precipitate diminished web traffic, thereby inflicting substantial financial losses on publishers and third-party content providers.
Should a violation be confirmed, Google faces the prospect of fines reaching up to 10% of its global earnings, with potential increments to 20% in instances of recidivism.
Furthermore, if the non-compliance is deemed systemic, the Commission holds the authority to impose additional corrective actions, which could entail mandatory divestiture of business segments or a ban on acquiring further services associated with the non-compliance.
In response, Google has characterized the investigation as “misleading” and “unfounded,” reiterating its critique of the DMA for rendering “Search” less beneficial for both businesses and European users.
The American tech giant cautioned that the investigation could “adversely affect millions of European users,” referencing a previous ruling from a German court that dismissed a comparable challenge, asserting that their anti-spam policy was considered valid, justifiable, and consistently implemented (November 13).
Source link: Europeannewsroom.com.
