According to TechCrunch, the European Commission launched an antitrust investigation on Thursday into how Google implements its “site reputation abuse policy” and its impact on publishers. The Commission found signs that Google is using the policy to push news media and other publishers’ websites lower in search rankings when they include content from business partners. This policy appears to directly impact what the EU calls “a common and legitimate way for publishers to monetise their websites and content.” Google’s chief scientist of Search Pandu Nayak immediately called the investigation “misguided” and “without merit,” noting a German court already dismissed similar claims. If the investigation finds Digital Markets Act violations, Google could face fines up to 10% of Alphabet’s global annual turnover. This marks Google Search’s second DMA investigation after being designated a “core platform service” in 2023.
The spam detection dilemma
Here’s where things get really tricky. Google‘s site reputation abuse policy is supposed to target what they call “parasite SEO” – websites that basically rent out their high-ranking pages to third parties who publish low-quality content. Think of it as digital squatting, where someone with great search visibility lets spammers crash on their virtual couch. The problem is that legitimate business partnerships often look similar to these abusive arrangements from Google’s algorithmic perspective.
Publishers caught in the middle
So what’s actually happening here? Publishers have been using content partnerships and syndication deals for decades to monetize their sites and provide diverse content to readers. A newspaper might partner with a wire service, or a tech blog might feature guest contributors from industry partners. But Google’s algorithms seem to be treating these legitimate arrangements the same way they treat actual spam operations. The EU’s concern is that this creates an impossible situation for publishers – they either abandon revenue-generating partnerships or risk getting buried in search results.
Google’s defense and the DMA factor
Google isn’t backing down on this one. In his blog post defending the policy, Pandu Nayak argues that without these anti-spam measures, search quality would degrade for “millions of European users.” He’s got a point – nobody wants their search results filled with low-quality sponsored content masquerading as legitimate articles. But the Digital Markets Act changes everything. As a designated “gatekeeper,” Google now has extra obligations to ensure fair competition. The European Commission’s official announcement makes it clear they’re looking at whether Google’s policy unfairly restricts publishers’ “freedom to conduct legitimate business.”
What this means for search
This investigation highlights the fundamental tension in modern search. On one hand, Google needs to fight actual spam to maintain search quality. On the other, their algorithms have become so powerful that they can accidentally wipe out legitimate business models. And let’s be real – when you’re dealing with automated systems processing billions of pages, there’s bound to be collateral damage. The question is whether that collateral damage has crossed the line into anti-competitive behavior under the DMA. If the EU finds systematic violations, we’re not just talking about fines – they could force Google to change how its entire search ranking system works. That’s a pretty big deal for everyone who uses the internet.
