Under pressure from the EU

Google plans further changes to Internet search

Under pressure from the EU, Google is proposing further changes to the presentation of its Internet search results. The changes are Google's response to the European Digital Markets Act (DMA), which prohibits large technology companies from favoring their own products, among other things.

Following complaints from companies from numerous industries, there should be uniformly formatted tiles in future that allow users to choose between price comparison and company pages, wrote Oliver Bethell, Chief Legal Officer of the Alphabet subsidiary, in a blog post on Tuesday.

In addition, it is planned to no longer display maps in which hotels are shown in the overview in Germany and some other European countries. "We are very hesitant to take this step, as removing helpful functions benefits neither consumers nor businesses," emphasized Bethell.

With the adjustments, Google is responding to the European Digital Markets Act (DMA), which prohibits large technology companies from favoring their own products, among other things. Violations could result in penalties of up to ten percent of annual global turnover.

Several EU proceedings are already underway against Google for alleged disregard of the DMA. The US company had already adapted its search function a few months ago in order to comply with the legal requirements. However, according to hotels, airlines and small retailers, direct online purchases have slumped by 30 percent since then.