Thursday, February 26, 2026, 8:36 PM
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Google Tests Search Result Adjustments in Europe to Address Competition Concerns

Thursday 26 February 2026 12:35
Google Tests Search Result Adjustments in Europe to Address Competition Concerns

Google has begun testing changes to its search results in Europe aimed at giving competing services greater visibility. This initiative comes as part of efforts to address potential regulatory action by the European Commission over allegations of favoring Google’s own services in hotel, travel, and restaurant search results.

In March, the European Commission formally accused Google of violating the Digital Markets Act, following complaints from competitors claiming that Google provided unfair advantages to its own offerings. Although the company proposed several solutions to address these concerns, they have not yet been implemented due to criticism that the measures were insufficient.

The proposed changes include displaying results from specialized search engines alongside Google’s own results, with the top-ranking engines highlighted by default. Data related to hotels, travel, restaurants, and transportation services will also be displayed above or below these listings based on priority.

These adjustments are planned to roll out gradually, beginning with searches for accommodation services, and later extending to travel and other sectors. The initiative comes amid potential fines of up to 10% of global revenue for violations of the Digital Markets Act. Google has previously faced fines exceeding $11 billion since 2017 for European antitrust issues, highlighting growing regulatory scrutiny on major tech companies.

These developments underscore the European Union’s increasing enforcement of digital market rules, which have triggered tensions with the United States over trade, visa restrictions, and cross-border digital regulation.