EU opens antitrust probe into Google's spam policy after publisher complaints

The European Commission has launched an antitrust investigation into Google’s spam policy following complaints from publishers who say the company’s measures have reduced their revenues, Reuters reported. The probe could expose Alphabet’s Google to substantial fines under the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).

According to the EU, initial monitoring indicates that the search engine’s enforcement is demoting news publishers and other media outlets in search results when their websites host content from commercial partners. The commission said the policy appears to affect a ‘common and legitimate’ monetisation method for publishers.

The search engine introduced its site reputation abuse policy in March last year to address attempts by companies to manipulate search rankings. The policy targets third-party pages published on high-ranking websites to boost visibility, a practice often referred to as ‘parasite SEO.’

EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera said the commission is concerned that the search giant’s approach may not treat news publishers in a ‘fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory manner’ in search results. She said the investigation aims to ensure publishers are not losing out on important revenues at a difficult time for the industry, and that the search engine complies with the DMA.

The search giant has rejected the allegations. Pandu Nayak, chief scientist at Google Search, wrote in a blog post that the Commission’s move “is misguided and risks harming millions of European users.” Nayak wrote that the investigation “is without merit,” noting that a German court had dismissed a similar challenge and upheld Google’s anti-spam policy as “valid, reasonable, and applied consistently.”

Nayak said the company’s efforts aim to prevent websites from using deceptive tactics to outrank competitors relying on their own content.

Complaints to the commission have come from German media company ActMeraki as well as industry bodies including the European Publishers Council, the European Newspaper Publishers Association and the European Magazine Media Association.

Under the DMA, violations can lead to fines of up to 10% of a company’s global annual revenue.