News Summary

• The European Commission has launched an investigation into how Google is implementing its “site reputation abuse policy” The EC is investigating if Google’s policy impacts publishers’ “freedom to conduct legitimate business, innovate, and cooperate with third-party content providers” According to Google, the measures are aimed at curbing websites that seek to manipulate search rankings by publishing other websites’ content on their site.
• If the investigation yields proof that Google infringed the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the Commission can charge fines worth up to 10% of Alphabet's global annual turnover.
• Google Search is already under a separate investigation for breaching DMA rules related to self-preferential treatment of its own services.