Google Proposes New Search Changes to Avoid EU Antitrust Fine
Google has submitted a new proposal aimed at addressing complaints from rivals and avoiding a possible European Union antitrust fine, Reuters has learned from a confidential document. This comes ahead of a critical July 7-8 meeting in Brussels with the European Commission and competitors.
The proposal, referred to as “Option B,” offers an alternative to an earlier plan presented last week. It suggests displaying two boxes on Google’s search results page: a vertical search service (VSS) box featuring links to specialized search engines for hotels, airlines, restaurants, and transport, and below it, a separate box listing free links to individual suppliers in those categories. Google would manage the supplier information but the setup aims to avoid the VSS box being dominated by Google’s own services.
This proposal seeks to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which targets large tech companies to prevent unfair self-preferencing and foster competition. Google has already made hundreds of product changes under the DMA framework.
Despite the efforts, Google remains concerned that some DMA requirements could degrade online user experience in Europe. If found in violation of the DMA, Google could face fines up to 10% of its global annual revenue.