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A Clash over Fair Visibility

The European Commission has officially launched proceedings against Google on November 13th, focusing on how its search engine ranks content. According to the Commission, Google may be systematically lowering the position of news websites—potentially violating the Digital Markets Act (DMA). This landmark EU law requires major online platforms to treat news publishers and other business users transparently, fairly, and without discrimination.

Lower rankings in search results can significantly reduce both visibility and revenue for European media outlets. Complaints have been filed by the German media company ActMeraki, as well as several European press organisations.

The investigation is being led by Teresa Ribera, the Commission’s Executive Vice-President for a Clean, Fair and Competitive Transition. She stressed the importance of the case:

“We will carry out a thorough investigation to ensure that publishers are not losing critical revenue during an already challenging time for the industry, and we will verify whether Google is complying with the Digital Markets Act,” Ribera said.

Publishers Raise the Alarm

Several key European media associations—including the European Publishers Council, the European Newspaper Publishers’ Association (ENPA), the European Magazine Media Association (EMMA), and News Media Europe (NME)—are strongly criticising Google’s approach. They argue that Google’s practices “threaten the economic viability of European media, undermining their business models and negotiation power with the platform.”

Google, in turn, defends itself by pointing to the importance of anti-spam measures for maintaining high-quality search results. The company warned that the investigation “could lower search quality for users.”

Regulation Meets Geopolitics

The inquiry is expected to last up to a year. If violations are confirmed, the Commission may impose fines of up to 10% of Alphabet’s global annual revenue or even demand structural remedies, such as selling parts of the company. For context, the EU previously fined Google €2.95 billion for breaches of competition rules.

European regulators note that sudden, opaque changes in platform algorithms can undermine media business models within weeks—further centralising power over information flows. The outcome of this case could set a major precedent for enforcing the DMA against other “gatekeeper” platforms, potentially triggering more confrontation between the EU and US tech giants.

In an era where access to reliable information is crucial, the investigation signals that Europe is ready to defend its media landscape—and challenge the dominance of global platforms when necessary.

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