Brussels Initiates Fresh Inquiry into Alphabet’s News Ranking Practices
Brussels is poised to launch a new investigation into Alphabet, Google’s parent entity, regarding its ranking methodologies for news outlets, as reported by the Financial Times.
This development arises amid former U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats of new tariffs against Europe, as a reaction to its increasingly stringent digital regulations.
According to the Financial Times, the European Commission is set to scrutinize claims that Google has been unjustly disadvantaging publishers that feature “third-party” advertisement materials, which encompass sponsored editorial content.
Media entities contend that such content is vital for the viability of their revenue streams. Two officials from the EU informed the publication that a formal announcement of the investigation could be made as early as Thursday, although the timeline remains fluid.
This inquiry will be conducted under the auspices of the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), a legislative framework intended to mitigate the clout of prominent online “gatekeepers.”
The DMA prohibits dominant technological platforms from manipulating their functionalities to the detriment of other market participants. Entities found in breach of this law could incur penalties amounting to 10 percent of their global annual revenue, according to the Financial Times.
This recent initiative underscores the newly installed European Commission’s commitment to rigorously enforcing the DMA, a stance that could exacerbate tensions with Washington. Trump has characterized EU sanctions on U.S. technology companies as a “form of taxation.”
The Financial Times further notes that Google is currently entangled in several additional EU investigations under similar regulations.
The scrutiny encompasses whether the search engine preferentially promotes its own services and if its app store practices impede developers from directing users to competing alternatives outside of Google’s purview.
This impending investigation follows closely on the heels of the European Commission’s recent imposition of a €2.95 billion fine on Google for anti-competitive behavior in its search advertising domain.
That fine—one of the most substantial penalties ever levied against the organization by Brussels—has spurred Trump to heighten his rhetoric regarding retaliatory tariffs on European imports.
Additionally, the EU had previously sanctioned Google with a €4.12 billion fine for utilizing its Android operating system to stifle rival platforms.
Neither the European Commission nor Google has issued comments regarding the forthcoming announcement, as noted by the Financial Times.
Nonetheless, Google has acknowledged that some users have expressed concerns about “parasite SEO” and “site reputation abuse,” practices whereby reputable sites host substandard or deceptive content.
The company maintains that it enforces its spam regulations through a meticulous review process, which includes a clearly defined reconsideration protocol for affected site operators.
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