The European Commission has officially launched an antitrust investigation into Google’s “site reputation abuse policy,” scrutinizing whether the search giant is unfairly penalizing publishers’ rankings.
EU Questions Google’s Ranking Practices
The Commission stated on Thursday that preliminary findings suggest Google may be using this policy to demote news media and publisher websites that host content from business partners. Regulators argue that the policy “appears to directly impact a common and legitimate way for publishers to monetise their websites and content.”
The investigation aims to determine if Google’s enforcement stifles the “freedom to conduct legitimate business, innovate, and cooperate with third-party content providers.”
The Conflict Over “Parasite SEO”
Google’s official stance maintains that these measures are critical to preventing “site reputation abuse,” where low-quality content is hosted on high-authority domains to manipulate search rankings.
“Unfortunately, the investigation announced today into our anti-spam efforts is misguided and risks harming millions of European users,” said Pandu Nayak, Google’s chief scientist of Search, in a formal response. Nayak emphasized that the claims lack merit, noting that a German court previously ruled the anti-spam policy as “valid, reasonable, and applied consistently.”
Google further defended its position, stating that the policy is essential to combat “deceptive pay-for-play tactics” and ensures that websites competing on merit are not overshadowed by manipulated search results.
Potential Financial and Structural Repercussions
Should the Commission conclude that Google has violated the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), the consequences could be severe. Alphabet faces potential fines of up to 10% of its global annual turnover. In cases of systematic infringement, the EU holds the power to mandate structural remedies, including the forced divestiture of businesses or restrictions on future acquisitions.
This probe adds to the increasing regulatory pressure on the tech giant. In 2023, the European Commission designated Google Search as a “core platform service” under the DMA, granting regulators enhanced authority. Google is currently facing a separate ongoing investigation regarding the self-preferential treatment of its own services within search results.
