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The European Commission announced on Thursday that it has opened an investigation into Google for a potential breach of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), focusing on whether the tech giant’s spam policy unfairly demotes media publishers in search results.
The formal proceedings, announced by the Commission, will assess if Google is applying “fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory” conditions to publishers, as required by the DMA. The investigation zeroes in on Google’s “site reputation abuse policy,” which the Commission states appears to “directly impact a common and legitimate way for publishers to monetise their websites and content.”
The world’s dominant search engine and the publishing industry are at an impasse over the interpretation of this policy. Google, in response to the investigation, maintains the policy is a necessary anti-spam measure to combat “parasite SEO,” a practice where third-party pages abuse a host site’s ranking signals to manipulate search results.
In its official press release, the Commission detailed that the investigation will examine potential non-compliance with Article 6(5) and 6(12) of the Digital Markets Act. The probe will determine if Google’s actions unlawfully restrict publishers’ freedom to conduct business and innovate. EU Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera stated:
The DMA is the EU’s law that establishes criteria and obligations for “gatekeepers” in online and digital services. These are defined as “large digital platforms providing…core platform services such as online search engines, app stores, messenger services.”
Although the DMA grants the Commission powerful enforcement tools, the case hinges on a complex technical and legal analysis of search ranking policies. Subsequent developments, including Google’s formal defense, the Commission’s preliminary findings, and the potential fine remain yet to be seen.
The post EU launches probe into Google’s anti-spam policy appeared first on JURIST - News.
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The formal proceedings, announced by the Commission, will assess if Google is applying “fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory” conditions to publishers, as required by the DMA. The investigation zeroes in on Google’s “site reputation abuse policy,” which the Commission states appears to “directly impact a common and legitimate way for publishers to monetise their websites and content.”
The world’s dominant search engine and the publishing industry are at an impasse over the interpretation of this policy. Google, in response to the investigation, maintains the policy is a necessary anti-spam measure to combat “parasite SEO,” a practice where third-party pages abuse a host site’s ranking signals to manipulate search results.
In its official press release, the Commission detailed that the investigation will examine potential non-compliance with Article 6(5) and 6(12) of the Digital Markets Act. The probe will determine if Google’s actions unlawfully restrict publishers’ freedom to conduct business and innovate. EU Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera stated:
Thursday’s announcement is the preliminary step and does not mean Google has been non-compliant. Google has previously defended its policy, citing a German court ruling that validated its anti-spam efforts. The Commission will now conduct a targeted investigation, aiming to conclude within 12 months. Should the company be found in violation, the Commission can impose fines of up to 10% of its global annual turnover, with the potential for higher penalties for repeated offences.
The DMA is the EU’s law that establishes criteria and obligations for “gatekeepers” in online and digital services. These are defined as “large digital platforms providing…core platform services such as online search engines, app stores, messenger services.”
Although the DMA grants the Commission powerful enforcement tools, the case hinges on a complex technical and legal analysis of search ranking policies. Subsequent developments, including Google’s formal defense, the Commission’s preliminary findings, and the potential fine remain yet to be seen.
The post EU launches probe into Google’s anti-spam policy appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.