The European Commission indicates that Google's spam policy may lead to a lower position of news websites that publish materials from trading partners. As a result, newspaper publishers may be harmed by lower traffic to their websites, which translates into a decline in advertising revenues. The EU has therefore launched an investigation under the Digital Markets Regulation (DMA).
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Google is defending itself
Google defends its anti-spam policy, arguing that it aims to eliminate fraudulent practices on the web. In a statement, the company emphasized that its actions help protect users from dishonest websites that promote, for example, fake products such as “slimming pills”. According to Google, the new investigation may lead to the support of dishonest entities and lower quality of search results.
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The investigation against Google is expected to last a year
The investigation is currently in its early stages. The European Commission plans to complete them within 12 months. If Alphabet, the owner of Google, is found guilty of violating the DMA, it could face fines of up to 10%. the company's global turnover.
The regulations contained in the DMA and the Digital Services Act (DSA) constitute the legal basis for EU action towards large digital platforms. DMA focuses on limiting the dominance of the largest players in the market, while DSA imposes obligations on platforms related to content moderation and algorithm transparency. Both regulations were criticized by the US administration, which accuses the EU of limiting freedom of speech.
