Google Degrades Search Results in Europe Amid EU Antitrust Pressure
Alphabet's Google has rolled out changes to its online search results in Europe to comply with EU antitrust regulators. The move, which marks the largest reduction in quality of service at the world's most popular internet search engine in its 29-year history, degrades users' experience and increases costs for European businesses.
The changes were made after Google was hit with a €460 million fine in July for favoring its own services in shopping, hotels, transport, and sports results in search results. The company has 60 days to comply with the EU's Digital Markets Act or risk periodic penalty payments of up to 5% of its total worldwide turnover.
The revamped search results give more prominence to price comparison sites, such as Expedia and Booking.com, over companies listed on their websites. Google says this is not what the EU intended, but rather a result of its algorithm determining rankings.