The European Union has opened a formal investigation into Google, accusing the tech giant of unfairly suppressing commercial content from news media partners in its search results — a potential violation of the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
According to the European Commission, some media companies have seen their sponsored or advertiser-supported content effectively vanish from Google search results due to the platform’s anti-spam policies. The Commission claims this demotion harms publishers financially by reducing visibility and traffic, and may constitute unfair treatment under the DMA, which mandates that gatekeepers like Google ensure “fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory” access to platforms.
The investigation specifically concerns content generated through commercial partnerships — such as when a newspaper collaborates with a brand to promote travel deals or discounts on consumer products. EU officials argue that while these deals are standard in the print world, Google’s search algorithm may be unjustly burying this type of content online, essentially making it invisible to users.
Teresa Ribera, executive vice president of the Commission, voiced concerns that Google’s practices may be skewing the digital marketplace against traditional media outlets already struggling in the age of AI and dwindling ad revenue.
Google strongly denies any wrongdoing, calling the probe “misguided and without merit.” The company says its anti-spam policy is necessary to ensure trustworthy search results and has been upheld by German courts as fair and consistently applied.
The Commission is now calling on publishers to provide evidence of lost traffic and revenue due to Google’s alleged demotion practices. If Google is found to be in “systematic non-compliance,” it could face hefty fines — up to 20 percent of global revenue.
