Google is trying to avoid the EU antitrust fine, and in hopes of doing that, the company just made a new proposal. Google has proposed a new round of changes in the search department. The company proposed some changes to how it displays search results, actually.
This comes just a few days ahead of the company’s meeting with regulators and competitors, Reuters reports. As a reminder, Google is facing problems related to the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in the EU. It targets dominant online platforms in order to balance the market.
Google is facing a mega fine in the EU, and it’s trying to avoid it with ‘Option B’ plan
Google has been under pressure from the EU for favoring its services, such as Google Shopping, Google Hotels, and Google Flights. Google actually recently said that the EU’s rules are hurting users and businesses alike.
The company has to adapt, though, and is trying to do so. Last week, the company offered to create a box at the top of the search page for a so-called vertical search service (VSS). It would contain links to specialized search engines, as well as to hotels, airlines, restaurants, and transport services.
The latest offer is called ‘Option B’, and that is the one seen by Reuters. It’s an alternative to last week’s plan. Under this option, whenever a VSS box is shown, “Google will also show a box that includes free links to suppliers.”
The box for suppliers, containing hotels, restaurants, airlines, and travel services, would be below the VSS box. It is said that Option B “provides suppliers opportunities while not creating a box that can be characterised as a Google VSS.”
Google said that it’s “genuinely concerned about some of the real-world consequences of the DMA”
Google’s spokesperson said that the company “made hundreds of alterations to our products as part of our DMA compliance.” He also added: “While we strive for compliance, we remain genuinely concerned about some of the real-world consequences of the DMA, which are leading to worse online products and experiences for Europeans.”
If the company ends up on the wrong side of the fence with the EU, and is found in breach of the DMA, it’s facing a fine as much as 10% of its global annual revenue.
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