EU investigates Google over ‘demoting’ commercial content from news media | Google

The EU has launched an investigation into Google search over concerns the tech giant is “downgrading” commercial content on news media sites.

The blog’s management arm announced the move after monitoring found that certain content created with advertisers and sponsors was given such low priority by the US tech giant that it no longer appeared in search results.

European Commission officials said this potentially unfair “loss of visibility and revenue” to media owners could be a result of the anti-spam policy implemented by Google.

Under Digital Market Act (DMA) rules governing competition in technology sectors, Google must impose “fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory conditions for access to publishers’ websites in Google search.”

Commission officials said the investigation was not related to the general indexing of newspapers or their news on Google Search, but only to commercial content provided by third parties.

They said media partnerships with businesses selling products or services ranging from holidays to tutors were “normal commercial practice in the offline world” and that they should also exist in a fair online marketplace like Google.

For example, a newspaper may have teamed up with Nike to offer discounts, but there was evidence from a Google search that the newspaper’s subdomain would be “downgraded to the point where users would no longer be able to find it,” which would impact newspapers.

“We are concerned that Google’s policies do not allow for fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory treatment of news publishers in search results,” said Teresa Ribera, the European Commission’s vice-president for clean, fair and competitive transition policies.

The Commission said authorities will in the coming days ask broadcasters to provide evidence of any impact on their traffic and revenues as a result of suspected breaches of fair practices.

Ribera added: “We will investigate to ensure news publishers do not lose significant revenue during a difficult time for the industry and that Google complies with the Digital Markets Act.

“Today, we are taking action to ensure that digital gatekeepers do not unfairly restrict businesses that rely on them from promoting their products and services.”

The EU has said it is now forced to take steps to protect traditional media competing in the online market, given European Commission president Ursula von er Leyen’s recent claim in a speech to the union that “media in general is at risk” due to the arrival of artificial intelligence and widespread threats to media funding.

Officials emphasized that the investigation was a “normal non-compliance” investigation and that although fines of up to 20% of revenue could be imposed, this was only a possibility that Google would be found to have engaged in “systematic non-compliance”.

The company said it doesn’t look at Google advertising services that are “not part of organic search.”