Google Touts Compliance with EU Gatekeeper Rules Amid Travel-Related Changes

Google has proposed changes to its search services in the European Union to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) after being fined €460 million by the bloc in July. The tech giant was found to have unlawfully self-preferenced its own services in Google Search, breaching DMA rules.

The proposed changes aim to give more prominence to third-party comparison websites, known as vertical search services (VSS), in Google search results for queries regarding hotels, flights, and transport made by users in the European Economic Area. This includes websites such as Expedia and Booking, which will be displayed more prominently than companies operating in the travel-related sectors.

Google's compliance plan also involves displaying a carousel within search results that populates with direct listings from suppliers of hotels, flights, and transport below the VSS. According to Google senior vice-president Nick Fox, the changes 'degrade the user experience for Europeans', as they suggest that they boost 'online intermediaries at the expense of local businesses', and remove 'helpful features people rely on every day'.