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Google has terminate a test in which it was returning basic “ profane link ” search results for hotel - link up hunting in a smattering of markets in the European Union , in response to compliance complaints related to the bloc’sDigital market Act(DMA ) . These blue tie-in come along instead of visually rich result , where its hunt engine will exhibit thumbnail photos of hotel along with price info and also plotting their location on a map .
In ablog postThursday , Google ’s Oliver Bethell , director , sound , claim the result of the test indicate that reviving unmistakable blue nexus - flair search termination was spoiled news for hotels , sending their dealings down by more than 10 % , and thereby making it harder for travelers to find accommodation businesses to make direct bookings .
Nor , Bethell suggest , did rowing back to more canonic hunt results meaningfully increase dealings to comparison websites that aggregate hotel room — with Google ’s web log post claiming “ dealings to intermediary sites largely stayed prostrate . ”
Since the DMA came into force across the EU in former March — and even originally than that , when Google was previewing its reception to the axis ’s flagship marketplace contestability government — comparability websites have arguedit flouting the regularisation ’s ban on ego preferencing by embedding robust features into Google hunting results that compete with their accumulation businesses by discourage users from turning to upright lookup service .
The stake are mellow for Google as confirmed rupture of the DMA could lead to penalty of up to 10 % of global annual turnover ( or even more for repeat offences ) . Plus , the European Commission already hasan subject investigation of its DMA compliance , which extend the self - preferencing yield . That investigation remains on-going .
Google has pushed back against complaints that it ’s not run by the EU ’s rules by framing DMA compliance as an inconvenience for substance abuser . Its hint is it ’s being forced to degrade the quality of search results for local users in purchase order to forfend preferencing its own service above rival comparison site .
The dingy connexion trial run was another manifestation of Google ’s anti - DMA lobbying — one which allows it to claim it now has data to back up its contention that European hunt final result tone is being forcibly wound back to the Web 1.0 epoch thanks to regulatory overreach .
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Whether Google ’s test will sway public opinion one elbow room or the other is unclear . Given the belittled scale of measurement of the test , and the fact Google was pulling all the lever involved , it really should n’t .
Nor should Google devising , running , and framing its own mental testing , and then pronouncing results that dovetail with its push for a minimalist rendering of how the DMA practice to its business , surprisal or impress the rule ’s enforcer , either .
But the wider issue of how to apply the DMA to such a dominant lookup tool in a way that does n’t innovate some friction or damaging knock - on impact for European consumers and businesses is punishing to disregard . And it remains to be seen what the European Commission ’s investigation will conclude .
Notably , it has train the axis longer to arrive at a preliminary conclusion on the Google ego preferencing case than thetwo other DMA cases it open simultaneously(one concerningApple ’s App Store ; and another onMeta ’s forced consent ) . In both those other cases , preliminary findings were arrive at over the summertime — follow bymovementfrom the technical school giantson their respective deference approaching .
Whereas on Google the EU has kept its powder dry .
The lookup giant ’s continued push - back against DMA complaints — and its heavy framing of the regulation as harming , rather than helping , European consumers — suggests it ’s still holding out for an opportunity to shape a less costly interpretation of the dominion for its lookup byplay that avoids a scenario where Google search in the EU is forced to become a “ blue links ” dumb pipe .
“ To comply with the DMA , we have already made pregnant changes that have alreadydiverted trafficfrom hotels to intermediaries , efficaciously raising prices for consumer , ” Bethell argues in the web log post , before going on to imperil to remove “ helpful features ” altogether — admonish of a “ drop off - lose spot ” for European exploiter and European businesses .
“ We look onwards to discuss these findings with the European Commission and working to retrieve a more balanced solution , ” he adds .
The Commission has been contacted for a response to Google ’s web log post .
