EU opens new probe into Google over news publisher rankings

The European Commission has launched a fresh investigation into Alphabet’s Google over whether its search ranking practices disadvantage news publishers and breach the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).

The probe, announced Thursday, focuses on Google’s “site reputation abuse” policy, which the EU’s executive arm fears may be unfairly penalising legitimate news outlets and other publishers that host third-party commercial content.

The commission said the rules could limit publishers’ ability to earn revenue online during a critical time for the media industry.

"We will investigate to ensure that news publishers are not losing out on important revenues at a difficult time for the industry, and to ensure Google complies with the Digital Markets Act," Teresa Ribera, the bloc's competition commissioner, said.

Under the DMA, companies found to be in violation can face penalties of up to 10% of their annual global revenue.

Google defends policy as anti-spam safeguard

Google rejected the EU’s accusations, saying its ranking policy is designed to preserve the quality and trustworthiness of search results.

The company said the policy targets “parasite SEO” — a tactic where spammers pay reputable publishers to host their content in an effort to exploit their search credibility.

"The investigation announced today into our anti-spam efforts is misguided and risks harming millions of European users," Pandu Nayak, chief scientist of Google Search, said in a blog post.

The company argued that its rules are necessary to maintain fairness in ranking systems and protect users from low-quality or manipulative content.

Washington criticises EU’s Big Tech enforcement drive

The latest probe adds to a growing list of regulatory challenges Google faces in Europe.

In September, the company was fined €2.95 billion ($3.42 billion) following a years-long investigation into its advertising technology practices.

US President Donald Trump has criticised such EU actions, calling them “discriminatory” and threatening retaliatory tariffs on European nations that impose stricter rules on US technology firms.

Washington has argued that the EU’s regulatory framework — including the DMA and the Digital Services Act (DSA) — unfairly targets American companies.

Broader crackdown on Big Tech under EU laws

The investigation into Google follows other recent enforcement actions under the EU’s digital rulebook.

Last month, the European Commission charged Meta Platforms Inc. for failing to properly manage illegal content on Facebook and Instagram, marking the first such case under the DSA.

The commission also accused both Meta and TikTok of restricting researchers’ access to public data, another key requirement under the new law.

Earlier this year, Google faced complaints from European and British publishers that its AI Overviews feature was diverting traffic away from news websites.

The company countered that AI tools in search were designed to boost online visibility rather than harm it.