Google offers changes to spam policy to avert EU antitrust fine
Google's Response to EU Antitrust Concerns
By Foo Yun Chee and Jaspreet Singh
Background of the Investigation
May 6 (Reuters) - Alphabet's Google has offered to change its spam policy criticised by publishers, according to a European Commission document seen by Reuters, in a move that may help it stave off an EU antitrust fine.
The U.S. tech giant found itself in EU regulators' crosshairs after publishers complained about its site reputation abuse policy. It targets the practice of publishing third-party pages on a site in an attempt to abuse search rankings by taking advantage of the host site's ranking signals, commonly referred to as parasite SEO.
Regulatory Actions and the Digital Markets Act
That prompted the European Commission, which acts as the EU competition enforcer, to open an investigation in November under the Digital Markets Act, which aims to rein in the power of Big Tech.
Proposed Changes and Stakeholder Feedback
Google has proposed changes to comply with the DMA, the document said, giving interested parties until next week to offer feedback.
Impact on Publishers and Monetisation
The EU watchdog has said that its monitoring showed that Google's spam policy demotes news media and other publishers' websites and content in Google search results when those websites include content from commercial partners.
Concerns Over Publisher Revenue
It said the policy directly impacts a common and legitimate way for publishers to monetise their websites and content.
Potential Consequences and Industry Reactions
DMA breaches can cost companies fines of up to 10% of their global annual turnover.
The Commission declined to comment. Google did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Media Coverage and Additional Details
Bloomberg was the first to report on Google's proposal.
($1 = 0.8511 euros)
(Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel and Mark Porter)
