Google says discord over search results is unresolved; risks EU antitrust fine
Alphabet’s Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) said it failed this week to resolve disagreements with hotels, airlines and specialised search services such as Skyscanner over how it presents search results, putting it at risk of a hefty European Union antitrust fine, News.Az reports citing Xinhua.
The U.S. tech giant held a July 7-8 workshop with critics to address EU antitrust charges of unfairly favouring its own services such as Google Shopping, Google Hotels and Google Flights over competitors.
The landmark Digital Markets Act seeks to rein in the power of Big Tech, with violations subject to fines as much as 10% of a company’s global annual revenue.
Google offered two options at the workshop, likely the last of several before the commission issues a decision on the company’s compliance in the coming months. In both options, vertical search service (VSS) such as Skyscanner, Kelkoo and Booking (NASDAQ:BKNG).com would get a box at the top of the search page while hotels, restaurants and airlines would be ranked below them.
"Competing interests continue to pull us in different directions," Google’s lawyer Oliver Bethell wrote in a blogpost on LinkedIn on Wednesday.
"While we have invited feedback throughout this process, we now need to bring this debate to an end without the interests of a few being prioritised over the millions of people and businesses in Europe who benefit from Search."
Skyscanner said Google’s proposals need more work.
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